If you’re looking for a job, chances are you’re finding it frustrating. Being on the hunt for work has gotten more complex, more time-consuming and more stressful.
But there are ways to use the challenges to your advantage and leverage the protracted process to ensure you get the best outcome that will advance your career brilliantly.
A Tough Terrain
At the same you’re hearing about a talent revolution, including 43% of executives who expect to increase headcount, job seekers are reporting increasing difficulty finding a new role. In fact, 71% of people say the job search process is more complicated than they anticipated, according to a survey by The Harris Poll conducted for Bloomberg.
Finding a job is a lot of work and 48% of people told Bloomberg they’d applied to more than 50 jobs, and 63% had been searching more than six months. As a result, 66% said they wish they had started the process earlier.
In addition, 72% are frustrated with non-responsiveness on the part of companies who ignore applications or fail to follow through, according to the Bloomberg poll. In a related poll by Monster, 90% of people said they experienced ghosting, and 73% of respondents reported losing faith in the system.
In addition, 69% of people in the Monster poll suffered from mental side effects and 12% from physical side effects such as fatigue (84%), sleep loss (82%), stress (77%), anxiety (75%), depression (67%), frustration (46%), brain fog (39%) or exhaustion (30%)—because of the job search process.
So Many Interviews
Despite the stress, people understand and are willing to go through interviewing and selection approaches. In fact, 83% believe more than one interview is appropriate—but 41% say two should be the max number of interviews, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals.
In comparison, 40% of hiring managers report that candidates should expect at least two interviews and 15% say five or more is the norm at their company, according to the Express Employment Professionals poll.
With so many interviews, how can you use them to your advantage?
1. Be Selective
One of the primary advantages of multiple interviews is the opportunity to be selective and ensure the company and the team are right for you. In fact, the Express Employment Professionals poll found people appreciated multiple interviews for the opportunity to ask follow-up questions (56%) and gain information about the position (56%).
Use the time and the interviews to ask plenty of questions of each interviewer and compare the consistency of responses you receive. In addition, target your questions for your interviewer, asking about company direction with a senior leader and the character of the team with a team member. Ask the hiring leader about the work you’ll be doing. And consider asking about company culture with many of the people you speak with—to get a holistic view of what it would (really) be like to work for the organization.
2. Let Your Personality Shine
Another way to leverage a long process is demonstrate your character. Hiring managers (50% of them) told Express Employment Professionals that extended interview processes allowed them to better evaluate candidates’ personalities (50%) and skills (48%) and ensure fit with the company’s culture (47%).
Throughout the process, be yourself. You’ll want to work at a company where you can express your skills, talents and personality—so when you’re authentic, it will help you and the employer ensure the best fit.
Also show grace and patience with the process. Be responsive and communicate your continued interest. Organizations are looking for people who are resilient and who are team players—so when you show these kinds of traits, you’ll capture employers’ interest.
3. Assess the Team
A longer process can also help you assess the team and your fit with others at the company. Job seekers in the Express Employment Professionals poll said they appreciated meeting other employees within the company (47%) and 41% of hiring managers appreciated a longer process so they could obtain other employees’ opinions on prospective co-workers.
When you’re interviewing, you’ll want to impress team members, but you’ll also want to assess your own fit—whether you would want to work with the people who are interviewing you, learn from them, add your value to the team and grow with the group.
4. Be Patient
The time it takes for multiple interviews can be a disadvantage as well, adding time to the process (52%), causing delays in landing a job (45%), adding costs of a job search (39%), risking acceptance of another job offer in the meantime (32%) or becoming fatigued or disillusioned with the process (27%), according to job seekers’ responses to the Express Employment Professionals poll.
But you can maintain perspective knowing that investing time in the job search can pay off in finding the job that is the best match for what you need and want in a role. Remind yourself that even when the process takes a long time, it’s still less than the time you’ll want to spend in a great role at a terrific company where you can grow your career. You’re making an investment in yourself and your future through the time you spend in the process.
5. But Don’t Be Too Patient
While you’re being patient and resilient, also pay attention to how the organization runs the process since it’s a reflection of the culture. If it’s taking a long time, but the company is keeping you informed, staying in touch and being transparent, these all bode well for how you can expect to be treated as an employee.
Hiring managers admit that a long process can have the downsides of resulting in subjective decision-making (26%) or biased outcomes (24%), so it’s wise to be cautious about the experience you have with an organization—and consider better offers if you’re turned off by the organization’s approach.
Also be sure to keep your options open by applying to a variety of jobs. When you have only one alternative, a longer timeframe can be especially frustrating. But when you have a number of oars in the water, you can keep momentum on multiple fronts—and more easily maintain a positive attitude.
Worth the Wait
A protracted process is tough, but you can leverage it to build your personal resilience and stay hopeful. When you bring optimism to the experience, it will help your own wellbeing and it will be a positive beacon for employers who will want to make you part of their team.
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