👋 Welcome to The Job Search
Rachel here! Welcome to The Job Search, a new monthly Superpath series where in-house content marketers tell us (anonymously) exactly how they got a job in this market.
Each issue, we dig into one content marketer’s real story: what they did, how it worked, what they learned, what they’d do differently.
If you have questions, reactions, or your own story to share, send them my way!
The Job Search is one of three rotating Thursday series. You can manage which ones you get here.
“The most helpful [thing] was definitely being intentional. I could have applied to way more companies, but I chose to narrow my focus. If I would've kept lowering my standards and widening my scope, I would've ended up settling for something I didn't want.”
WHERE HE STARTED
Dan was ready to leave a job he’d come to dread.
Dan’s job search was kicked off by an ongoing case of the Sunday scaries. He told us:
“I didn't see a future for myself at the company. I wasn't really into the product which made it hard to get energized about the work. Plus I didn't feel valued by leadership. Every Sunday, I dreaded the start of the work week, which was a feeling I never had before. So I knew it was time for a change.”
He was targeting Head of Content and Sr. Content Marketing Manager roles.
WHAT HE DID
His strategy: focus, consistency, and intentionality.
Dan broke down the four core pieces of his job search process for us:
“The first thing I did was update my resume. I used Teal to help me optimize it because it helped with my last job search.
I looked for roles almost exclusively on LinkedIn. I think I looked at the Greenhouse job board too, but mostly LinkedIn's Jobs section.
I spent a couple of hours on job searching per day. I was also very intentional about the jobs I applied to. For each listing, I would read through the job description, check out the companies' website and content, run them through Ahrefs, and really study a company before I applied (especially early on).
I also created a portfolio site with Lovable. Then I made individual pages for every job I applied to. Most of the page was the same across companies, but I had sections I customized like adding their company name, logo, and a "Why I'm interested in this position" section. Plus I used Teal to tailor my resume to each job I applied to.”
HIGHS & LOWS
The hard part: not letting the need to leave turn into desperation.
What made Dan’s job search tough as time went on was a familiar story: lots of rejection led to becoming de-motivated and a struggle not to lean into desperation.
Even after putting a lot of intentionality and effort into each application, and only applying to roles he was really excited about, Dan was still getting auto-rejected, not even landing screening calls.
On top of that, he was itching to leave his current role. He even contemplated quitting outright and just hoping he would land a new job quickly.
So the challenge for Dan was not letting his desire to get out of his current job ASAP turn into desperation in the job search: getting less picky about his applications, or sending out a ton of apps for jobs he didn’t really want or was overqualified for.
“Part of it was me trying to validate myself,” said Dan. “I started applying to jobs I was overqualified for just to see if I could get an interview. For instance, I was looking for a Head of Content role but after a while I started applying to Content Marketing Manager roles where I'd be working under the Head of Content.”
Thankfully, Dan said, those didn't pan out. But it’s a good reminder that even if your job search is “fast” on paper, week after week of auto-rejections can still wear you down.
TAKEAWAYS & LEARNINGS
Dan’s takeaways: intention and effort go a long way.
Dan boiled down his job search experience and learnings for us into three key takeaways:
1. Don’t take the JD at face value.
Dan told us,“During my interview process, I asked the hiring manager about something in the job description (something about using AI to produce content faster and at scale) and they said something to the effect of ‘Oh don't worry about that. I used AI to write it and that's not really a priority.’” (Editor’s note: *cue weary screaming*)
That, he said, taught him a few things:
A lot of hiring managers are using AI to make their job descriptions. I started to notice this after reading a bunch of job descriptions that sounded very similar. But the hiring manager's comment verified it for me.
Don't feel discouraged if you don't meet 100% of what a JD says is required, because there's a strong chance it could've been put in there by AI. It may not even be a priority for the team.
If you get an interview, don't be afraid to ask about anything in the job description you're hesitant about or feel iffy on.
2. Build a personal brand.
If he had to do it all over again, building a personal brand was the top thing Dan said he’d do differently.
“Build a personal brand. It gives you a huge leg up when you start applying for roles.” And hiring managers notice: “I've seen so many hiring managers talk about how they look at applicant’s LinkedIn pages to see how active they are.”
Being way more active posting on LinkedIn throughout the process and even before you start looking for a role is common advice for a reason. It can really go a long way.
3. Be willing to put in more effort to stand out.
Dan was coming into his job search process with the perspective of someone who had previously been a hiring manager.
“I've been on the other end as the hiring manager and I remember seeing so many applicants who did the bare minimum, applied for roles they definitely weren't qualified for, didn't read the job description, etc. With jobs being more difficult to come by and more competition for the roles that are available, you need to try to go above and beyond for the roles you really want.”
For Dan, that looked like:
The mini-websites for each role (using Lovable)
Fully answering the application questions
Putting a lot of effort into the “test projects” for interview processes
For example, part of the interview process he had was to do a presentation. The team said to only spend a couple of hours on it, but he really wanted the role, so he spent closer to eight hours on it. He told us he wanted it to be “undeniable.”
“How can you make yourself undeniable? You want the hiring team to feel like they're making a mistake by not hiring you.”
Of course, you can’t (reasonably) do this if you’re applying to 12 jobs a day. But in the combination with a narrow focus and intentional applications, a little (or a lot) of extra effort can definitely pay off.
- Rachel
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