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Ruth Sternberg | Confident Career Search

Ruth Sternberg, Confident Career Search

Specializing in interview-attracting resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Talk to a career search professional at 614-746-4587!

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No blind applications!

Filed Under: Essential Job Search Tactics, Find the Hiring Manager, Find Your Professional Direction, Get an Interview, Job Search

You don’t want to simply apply for jobs without knowing something about the role and the industry. I mean, it only makes sense, right? You don’t want to throw your hat into the ring for something you aren’t familiar with.

Problem is, most people make that exact mistake. 

And it can mean the difference between getting that first interview and getting the offer.

And here’s why:

Employers need people because they need help.

When you can offer that help, you have a better chance of getting picked to do that job.

But how do you talk about that if you don’t know what help is needed?

So, here’s what I commonly say:

When you apply for a job, consider yourself a consultant in your field. You’re going out there to try and help that employer solve a problem or improve something. So, of course, you need to find out what their problems are.

Where do you get that information? Lots of places! 

The idea is to know what their goals and challenges are so you can tailor the information you share to match their needs. 

For instance, when I was applying for a grant-writing role at a college, I called the consultant who was working with the department to find out what they needed help with the most. I arrived for the interview prepared to show how I would handle this exact situation and shared it during the conversation.

I got the job. Guess what? I found out I was the ONLY CANDIDATE to do this.

Here are some things you can do:

#1: Read about the company on its website. Pay attention to its news releases, its YouTube videos (if there are any), and any white papers, reports, or case studies it has produced.

#2: Read about the company or about trends in the industry through both the business and trade journals. 

Examples: 
Business publications: The Business Journals (printed in several different states)

Advertising industry: Adweek

Graphic Design: Graphic Arts Monthly

Data Analysis: IMB Data Magazine

Gaming: Game Industry Report Magazine

Fundraising: Chronicle of Philanthropy

Higher Education: Chronicle of Higher Education

Engineering: Engineering News-Record

Librarians can help you with these:

  • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reports on publicly traded companies
  • Dun & Bradstreet 
  • EBSCO
  • Reference USA


#3: Talk to people. 

Connect with people who work at your target companies. Tell them you are researching various companies as you look forward in your career and would appreciate a chat to find out more about where they work. 

Talk to the person who used to have the job you are going after. Tell them you are looking at the role and wonder if they can help you understand more about the company culture and anything else they would like to share. 

Ask your network if they know anyone at the company. If so, ask if they might make an introduction. This can easily be done through a mutual email message. 

#4: Talk to vendors who have done business with that company. This can be harder to figure out, but if you are familiar with the industry, you might already know who does business with them. 

My point is to think to yourself: “Who would know about this company?” And then figure out how to get to them. LinkedIn is a great tool. Websites are great. So are your personal contacts.

Afterward, look at your notes from these chats. 

What we’re able to find out about the company? What are they working on? What are their goals? What challenges have they encountered lately?

Once you know this, you can then tailor your preparation to address these same issues.

You can demonstrate your knowledge by targeting these concerns through:

  • Your resume 
  • Your cover letter
  • Your interview answers
  • Your interview questions

Who doesn’t want to hear that a candidate knows the company and its concerns and can help solve its problems?

Need help getting yourself together for your job search? 

Got an interview scheduled and feel lost?

Let know! I want to help—click here to schedule a 30-minute meeting)!

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A Cure for Job-Search Paralysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiRsEnarfcw

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Ruth is a gifted master of words. I hired Ruth because I needed someone who could clean up and reorganize my resume and LinkedIn profile. Ruth took in my career… Read more “Maria Blauvelt”

Maria Blauvelt

I was really struggling during COVID after getting laid off. I just could not seem to break through and get noticed.  I had used Ruth’s services before and gotten a… Read more “Sam Lewis”

Sam Lewis

I am truly honored to have the privilege of working with Ruth. She took the time to reach me on my level, and assist me in honing my interviewing skills… Read more “Randall Johnson”

Randall Johnson

Ruth is passionate about her clients. She truly cares and loves to see us find our next “Big Step” on our career journey. She is engaging in conversation and she listens. She… Read more “Karen Diehl”

Karen Diehl

Ruth worked to help me understand my strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. She not only built a great resume and LinkedIn profile for me, but also coached me to believe… Read more “Matthew Knouff”

Matthew Knouff

Ruth is a tremendous resource for help in overhauling a resume and building a LinkedIn profile. She is very knowledgeable about what it takes to get noticed by recruiters. Ruth… Read more “Dan Carson”

Dan Carson

I highly recommend Ruth as a career coach. She provides clients with concrete tools and advice to create a plan of action. Ruth truly understands the job search process, from… Read more “Francesca Fuerman”

Francesca Fuerman

Ruth became passionate about my professional experience immediately. She knew I was struggling to effectively portray my depth of experience in writing for effective recruitment by employers. Once I had… Read more “Anthony Bahr”

Anthony Bahr

I felt so confident in myself after working with Ruth, after I was able to take a step back and look at my résumé and see just how accomplished a person I… Read more “Logan Weissler”

Logan Weissler

When you said to me, ‘Okay, we got this. We are going to figure this all out and get you into these companies,’ I felt my whole body relax and… Read more “Cathy C.”

Cathy C.

Ruth took the time to get to know me and understand my strengths and abilities. She overhauled my résumé, which was essentially a list of job tasks, and created an attractive, compelling… Read more “Jillian O.”

Jillian O.

Ruth is an amazing, thorough, and professional résumé writer with an eye for bringing out your hidden story and value. Over the course of a month we were able to transform my résumé from zero… Read more “Craig M. Chavis, Jr.”

Craig M. Chavis, Jr.

Ruth has a gift for listening to her client’s needs with real empathy, and for translating their background into words that accurately reflect relevant talents. Moreover, Ruth is the kind… Read more “Cory Joyrich”

Cory Joyrich

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Alexandra Reynolds

My experience with Ruth was amazing, I would highly recommend her to anyone for that personal and professional touch. Ruth is great at listening and helping you find out what… Read more “Marcia Johnson”

Marcia Johnson

Resources Library

  • Get an Interview
  • Job Search
  • How to Answer: “Tell Me About Yourself?”
  • Identifying Transferable Skills
  • Ghosted by Recruiters
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