Most job seekers waste hours on ineffective tactics. Here's a systematic approach that successful job seekers use to generate interviews consistently.
The 5-2-1 Weekly System
Monday: Research & Target (2 hours)
- Identify 5 companies you'd love to work for
- Find specific hiring managers on LinkedIn
- Note company pain points from recent news
Tuesday: Network Activation (1 hour)
- Send 2 connection requests with personalized notes
- Comment on 5 LinkedIn posts in your industry
- Reach out to 1 former colleague
Wednesday: Application Deep Dive (2 hours)
- Apply to 1-2 jobs with fully customized materials
- Quality over quantity always wins
- Tailor every single element
Thursday: Skill Building (1 hour)
- Complete online course modules
- Practice interview questions
- Update portfolio/work samples
Friday: Follow-Up & Refine (1 hour)
- Follow up on applications from last week
- Update job search spreadsheet
- Refine strategy based on results
The Tracking Dashboard
Create a simple spreadsheet with:
- Company/Position
- Date applied
- Contact made
- Follow-up date
- Status
- Notes
Metrics That Matter:
- Applications → Interviews ratio (aim for 1:10)
- First interview → Final interview ratio (aim for 1:3)
- Time to response patterns
- Which strategies generate interviews
The 80/20 Reality:
- 80% of jobs are never posted
- 80% of interviews come from networking
- 80% of success comes from 20% of activities
Focus on high-impact activities:
- Direct networking
- Targeted applications
- Skill development
- Strategic follow-up
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