In 2 weeks, I got 4 interviews, and finally got hired full-time. And I have Carla Perez-Vera & Elpha, to thank for that
In 2 weeks, I got 4 interviews, and finally got hired full-time. And I have Carla Perez-Vera & Elpha, to thank for that
Posted in:Wins
Two weeks ago, I participated in the Elpha meetup for the first time and got linked with the lovely, @Carla.We're both job seekers, and I was having a rough time applying to positions.And that was because I was doing one thing, VERY wrong. Carla told me how she signed up for job websites like: Glassdoor, ZipRecuiter, made Google Job Alerts, Remote.co, Angellist, LinkedIn and so on. I hadn't really thought of doing that before...You know when you've been staring at a problem for hours, days, weeks, or even months - not making any progress - and then someone casually comes along, and says, "Have you tried this?" - and THAT was the missing piece you needed?!Carla was my casual somebody. πBefore Carla's intervention, I was doing things manually. Applying to 1-2 jobs every few days.And that was, to say the least, exhausting & disheartening...AFTER talking with Carla, and setting up my funnel, I was getting 50+ jobs sent to my inbox every day. Some were duds, some were okay, and some were PERFECT!I already knew my resume & cover letter were lush, but getting them in front of the right opportunities was the hardest part of this puzzle. Carla's suggestion fixed that! πFast forward a few days - I posted EVERYTHING in Reddit, meaning - I showed them:- how I wrote and structured my resume- how I did informational interviews / what questions I asked them- how I researched and wrote my cover letter for some positions- and then, of course, about the funnelIt was a lengthy piece, but pretty well detailed.A few appreciated it, but yeah - it also got a tiny bit of backlash. Lol!People saying that "this is nothing new" and "anyone could've googled this" and "you just got lucky".This is the part I had to take off my earrings, tie up my hair, & pull out my Reeboks and vaseline...So, regarding their statements:This is nothing new, TO YOU. They don't teach this information in school - even college!The majority of parents don't know about this stuff.So where are you supposed to learn this?Yes, you can google all this information, but what usually happens?- The person gets information overload- You don't know which "expert" to trust & follow (which by the way Ramit Sethi's blog "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" and themuse.com. That's who you need to follow and trust)- And you have MAAAAAD questions! The main one being, "Am I doing this right"?And that is why I wrote out EVERYTHING for the community!I wanted them to be able to see the order of importance of what needs to be done.1. Powerhouse, written resume.2. A stellar cover letter that is customized to the company you're applying for (at least have a template for that)3. You've been practicing with your friend or family member on how to interview to leave a glowup impression.4. AND THEN, you create your funnel.Now, they said that I just got lucky. That's kind of correct. If it wasn't for Carla, I wouldn't of thought about the funnel. But if I didn't have those other pieces, 1-3, LOCKED IN - no amount of traffic would've gotten me hired!So yeah, I CREATED my own luck, a$$wipes./rantBut, I just wanted to thank Carla and the Elpha meetup team!This community is AWESOME! I am so thankful.After 1 year of job searching, and then making that ONE tweak, I got (4) interviews and then, finally, an offer - in 2 weeks. Thank you so much!! π₯°
cadran·Feb 12, 2021cadran·Feb 12, 2021Yes thank you for sharing and happy it worked!!P.S. Did you know Elpha has an automated jobs alert every Monday. You can sign up here βhttps://elpha.com/positions?modal=quiz.We will email you when new jobs are posted with our partners that match your search criteria.
jikajika·Feb 13, 2021jikajika·Feb 13, 2021Yes, I was a part of your job alert as well!Most of those jobs were out of my field though (video editing). All good, though!
cadran·Feb 15, 2021cadran·Feb 15, 2021ah! what kind of role did you specify? Thanks!
jikajika·Feb 15, 2021jikajika·Feb 15, 2021Video Editor / Content Marketing roles.
Wow - congratulations and thanks for sharing your wins with us!!
Thank you!
This morning, someone else shared that they got their job at Microsoft and now you share this WIN!I am SO proud and happy for you! All of this is a testament to your hard work and tenacity! Keep shining!
Ooooh, Microsoft!That's a power lifter on the resume - good for her!And thank you!!! ππ
That's awesome @jikajika. Time to celebrate :)Thanks for sharing in detail, will help many, just in time for me ;)
Thank you and oh I did! Crablegs & shrimp, and it tasted so FINE!
Hi there, congratulations! Would be keen to read your Reddit post! Also, what did you mean when you did things manually?
Hi - and thank you!Here's the Reddit post. Get comfortable, it's lengthy: https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/lhdlzm/i_got_4_interviews_and_then_a_fulltime_in_2_weeks/And what I meant by doing it "manually" - was going on the job site, typing in "video editor", and scrolling through them one by one - trying to sort through the mess. This felt hella daunting, I only went on 1-2 job sites, and I barely found any matches.I knew there had to be a better way - but had no idea what that was. Again, WAY TOO CLOSE to the problem, so I couldn't see the (simple) solution.Until the conversation with Carla, that is...
Thatβs incredible! Congratulations to your big success finding out a job that you are so passionate about! I just reviewed your post on Reddit and saw how powerful your words are with such unique personality. Even I got persuaded at just the first glance of your cover letter!! That is something many career strategists on YouTube canβt bring to me- that excitement to sell myself and show eagerness to join a new team! I have been quite depressed applying for jobs months and got few responses back. But after reading your post, I gained some positivity back and would try to use different strategies. Thanks again for sharing!!
Oh my goodness - YAAAAAAY, YALING!!!I 1000% get - being depressed by the lack of responses & rejection from job companies you've applied for. You start to wonder if you're doing something wrong, as far as your resume, cover letter, or if you need more experience...But the thing I realized, after talking to Carla and adding that funnel and applying to 7-10+ jobs a day that were a good, or great, fit - was that it's also a numbers game.Which is interesting because back in the day when I had a shit resume & no cover letter & I just wanted ANY JOB - I applied everywhere and got NO WHERE.Now that I have all the right pieces in place, and have a bird's eye view, I see how each piece fits into the orchestra & plays its part. You really do have to have your cover letter & resume looking luscious, before adding that funnel. And then be so James Bond cool & comfortable in the interview, answering everything without a pause or fumbling over your words, that you make the hiring manager think, "Damn! How did we get so lucky, here"?...And yeah - many career strategists don't mention the "fangirling" (or research) you should do in your cover letter. That advice came from another friend. And it pays off & makes sense.When I've gotten on the phone with a hiring manager, they've told me: "You have no idea how many people will apply to this company and know nothing about what we do. The fact that you went through our [website, social media, case studies, etc] and noted them in your cover letter - is impressive".And think about it. Who doesn't like hearing about how awesome they are?Especially when it takes such little time to do the research.Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck! π
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience! All these great advice!!! I really gotta change the way and mindset I apply for jobs and so lucky to come across your post that inspires me to make a difference!!!
Congratulations! Wow such an inspiring story.
Thank you! βΊοΈ
@jikajika I am loving every single part of this message Gigi!!! You're so right about how the application process can leave you bogged down and then you end up overthinking the moments that didn't go well, instead of optimizing your funnel and approach. Thanks so much for sharing this experience. You've really shone a BRIGHTTTT light into my afternoon. Psyched you're back in the job game now!!
I'm so glad it brightened your afternoon! Go get 'em super squirrel!
Thank you so much for sharing such a powerful and positive post! Your story is so inspiring not just to me but for many. Congratulations!
Thank you! I'm so glad you found it helpful!
Gigi, youβre so amazing! I just started my job search process... And your posts (here and on Reddit) have been so motivational, actionable AND funny! Donβt think Iβve ever taken lots of notes and laughed out loud all at the same time, over one post... Thank you again!! All the best with your exciting new job!
I'm so glad you found it helpful AND funny!I sent this over to someone who needed some references - perhaps this will help you too - for cover letter & resume writing:- LOVE this list! // 185 Powerful Action Verbs That Will Make Your Resume Awesome (https://www.themuse.com/advice/185-powerful-verbs-that-will-make-your-resume-awesome)- Don't mind anything that talks about your college experience. That's the last thing they'll give a damn about // Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Perfect Resume (With Examples!)(https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-make-a-resume-examples#workexperience)- Look at how they wrote out the "say this" section // How to Make Your Most Boring Jobs Sound More Interesting on Your Resume (https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-make-your-most-boring-jobs-sound-more-interesting-on-your-resume)- Resume Revamp: How to Turn Your Duties Into Accomplishments (https://www.themuse.com/advice/resume-revamp-how-to-turn-your-duties-into-accomplishments)- Don't worry about 2 & 3. Pay attention to everything else // This Is What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2020(https://www.themuse.com/advice/what-your-resume-should-look-like-in-2020)- Ramit Sethi and his tips on resume writing with humor (https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/why-my-resume-got-me-a-job-offer-at-google/)-------ON TOP OF THAT - once you've finished writing your resume, ask people on Elpha that are hiring managers or HR reps, if they wouldn't mind looking it over and giving you advice/tips on where it can be improved - WITH EXAMPLES. An example always helps, don't you think? πSame goes for your cover letter, if you, and they, are up for it.Find a job that your interested, or even semi-interested, in - and create a mock cover letter for that company/job. Hand it over to your Elpha squad and again, they'll tell you what they do like, what needs to be improved, and so on. Go get'em super squirrel!
Hi Gigi,Thank you so much for these resources! I love your suggestions about the cover letter and resume. I just talked to someone from Elpha through their matching program and mentioned about all these resources you shared, which I will share with her as well. Thanks again for being one of the kindest, most resourceful, amazing human being I've ever met!
Awww!That's so kind of you to say, thank you!Hopefully a good chunk of those resources will come in handy for you!Go get'em girl!ππΎ
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Teatime result Friday 12 February 2021