Unpopular Opinion: Apply for Jobs You Don’t Love
Hi there job seekers,
You hear it all the time: don't apply for every role under the sun. Keep your energy on the jobs you want and the ones you're qualified for.
I agree with that.
A few weeks ago I told you to stop before you hit Easy Apply and get clear on the skills you actually want to use - I still mean it. This is the other side of that thought.
Once you know what you want, there's a hidden benefit to applying for more jobs than you'd say yes to: interview practice.
90+ applications, and not all of them were my dream job
When I was unemployed, I applied for well over 90 positions. I didn't want or love every one of them, but I wasn't applying for roles I was under-qualified for either. I applied for things I knew I could get a call back on.
I hadn't interviewed in several years and I wanted to be ready when the job I really wanted came along. Every interview showed me what questions were being asked, what I needed to strengthen, and how to best sell myself and my skill set.
The job I knew I probably wouldn't take
One of my favorite examples was a job I interviewed for that would have required relocation. Living in the Midwest moving to a warmer climate didn't sound terrible. But we had just moved into a new home and I knew it was very unlikely I'd take the role.
I interviewed anyway, three times. As I was getting ready for the final interview and we were trying to lock down flight schedules, I told them I wouldn't be moving forward.
What those interviews gave me was awareness. I could hear which skills I sounded confident talking about and which ones I didn't. For the ones I didn't, I worked on how to strengthen them, how to come up with real examples, and how to pitch myself better in those moments.
I won’t name names, but they did release a self-driving car 🚗
I don't regret interviewing as much as I did for that job. It sharpened me, and it helped me land a job I love that's local.
Why it’s unpopular
When you work with other coaches they will tell you to protect your energy and focus on roles you really want. I do want to protect your energy - and you can by applying for jobs you’ll get a call back on. What I want is that with every interview you get gives you insight that went beyond the job description, but how you sell yourself.
How The Reset Framework keeps it strategic
Today, I run The Reset Framework, and this is where the three steps come in:
Recovery: We document and talk through all the skills you've gained from your previous experience, and we look at what you need to move forward to be happy in a role.
Reflection: We take those skills and put them into a master resume. These are the skills you'll get very comfortable talking about, so you can sell yourself better.
Redesign: We keep track of every application you fill out. Every Easy Apply button, every time you complete that Workday application over and over and over again, we log it. That way you know which jobs you feel more confident about than others.
Practice is useful. Practice with a plan is better.
If you want to get more strategic about landing your next job, let's connect. Book a free discovery call here.
FAQ
Should I apply for jobs I don't really want? It can help, if you're qualified for the role and you're honest with yourself about why you're applying. An interview for a job you may not take is practice for the ones you will.
How does interview practice help a job search? It shows you which questions get asked, which skills you sound confident talking about, and where you need stronger examples, especially if you haven't interviewed in years.
Doesn't this contradict "stop before you click Easy Apply"? No, they work together. First get clear on the skills you want to use (Recovery). Then apply to roles you're qualified for, and treat the interviews you get, even for roles you may not take, as practice.
Should I apply for jobs I'm under-qualified for? No. The approach here is applying for roles you know you could get a callback on, not stretching for roles that waste your time and theirs.
What should I track while applying to many jobs? Every application, plus which roles you feel more confident about than others. That's the Redesign step of The Reset Framework.
What is The Reset Framework? A three-step job search process: Recovery (document your skills and what you need to be happy in a role), Reflection (build a master resume you can talk about confidently), and Redesign (track every application so you know where you're strongest).
