Everyone likes a good hack. So I have come up with 10 (plus a bonus hack) to help you with your job search. Each one addresses a different aspect of your job search and can save you time or help increase your efficiency. Try them out!

#1 Use Voice Mail for LinkedIn Direct Messages 

You want to develop relationships with people in your network and stand out among the many other people trying to do the same. A contact might get many messages sent through the messaging app in LinkedIn. I doubt, though, they get many voice mail messages because users often do not know of or do not think to use this functionality. The voice message feature only available in the mobile app allows you to record up to a 60-second message—what an excellent way to start a personal connection, by getting the person to hear your voice. Your personality can better shine through than with just your words in a message.

Note: You can only use voice messaging with 1st-degree connections

1. Tap the  Voice Messaging icon.

   • You may be prompted to allow LinkedIn to connect to your device microphone. The pop-up message LinkedIn would like to Access the Microphone. We use the microphone to capture audio for audio/videos that you record will appear. Tap OK or Don't Allow.

   • To remove access to your device microphone, navigate to the Privacy Settings on your device, and under Microphone, move the toggle next to LinkedIn.

2. Hold down on the microphone image to record your message.

3. Release the hold to stop recording.

   1. You'll have the option to discard the message or re-record it before sending it.

4. Tap Send or Cancel.

   1. To cancel or delete a recorded, unsent message, swipe away from the record button before the message is sent or tap Cancel.

#2 Stand Up When Conducting Phone Interviews

This is a hack that will make you feel more confident. Your body language does have an impact on your tone. When you stand up with your feet four to six inches apart, you will feel more poised and authoritative. Pretend there is a string at the top of your head pulling you up to make sure you are not slouching. When you have good posture, you can breathe deeply and fully with your diaphragm. This will give your voice more power. If it is not too distracting to you, you can even walk a bit. Movement can also make you feel energetic, which also can come through in your vocal tone.

#3 Set Up a Dedicated Email Address for Job Searches

Do you have an old Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail email address? Do you get a lot of personal messages through your current email address? Do you have a personal email address that is not appropriate for a job search (such as Sexxxy35@email.com)? Then you might want to set up a new email address strictly for your job search. That way, you can segregate all job search networking emails and company correspondence to one account to make it easy to organize. Additionally, you can set up an email signature with links to your LinkedIn profile, portfolio, or personal website, which you would not automatically include in your personal email. Companies like WiseStamp and MySignature can help you customize email signatures for a professional look.

#4 Use the Name of the Person in Your Verbal Communications to Build Rapport

When you use someone’s name in conversation, you make them feel important. You are focusing on them, making sure you are seeing them as an individual. You do not only remember their name, but you are giving the person significance by saying it out loud. It is a great way to build rapport with someone, as many people do not use a person’s name in conversation so that you will stand out positively.

#5 Summer Holidays and Near Christmas/New Years Are Great Times for a Job Search

I am a big believer that when everyone is “zigging,” you should “zag.” A job search when others are taking time off is an opportune time to stand out. While your competition may be going away for a summer holiday or preparing for the winter holidays and may suspend their job search (or delay starting it), that should be when you are even more focused on your job search. Your competition is less during these times, so it increases your odds of success. I have had success using this strategy. I have interviewed for a job in both August and December and gotten it.

#6 Keep a Copy of Your Resume on Your Phone

You want to keep a copy of your resume on your mobile phone for convenience. However, you may not always have access to your laptop or tablet. For example, you might be talking to someone, either in-person or over the phone, and they request to see your resume. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to give it to them right then? Or you see a job just posted, and you want to be one of the first to apply. If you are not near your laptop, you can quickly tailor your resume for the role and apply. In addition, you can store your resume in the cloud, on a file-sharing service, or there are even apps designed for sharing resumes.

#7 If You Are Using Gmail, Track If Your Email Has Been Opened

Wouldn’t it be nice to see if the recipient has opened your networking email? Well, you can. Mailtrack.io, a Google Chrome extension, will visually show you that a sent Gmail email has been opened. In addition, the free version will add a message to your email that it was sent with MailTrack, while the paid version does not have this message.

#8 Set Up Google Alerts for Targeted Companies

I always suggest that every job seekers create a list of 15-20 organizations where they would like to work. After you have made this list, you will want to research each business. That is where Google Alerts can be helpful. If there is news about these organizations, you get an email with a link to the source. To set up Google Alerts, go to https://www.google.com/alerts.

#9 Need More Space on Your Resume? Change the Line Spacing to “Exactly” in Microsoft Word

The default line spacing in Word is 1.15. That makes the lines far enough apart of easy reading. Sometimes, you might find that you have the last line of your resume fall on an additional page. You do not want to have an orphan line, so one way to get that line on the preceding page is to change the line spacing. Tightening up the line spacing may condense the space enough so that this no longer occurs. Conversely, you can widen the space between lines to have the text take up more room.

Here is how you can do this.

1. Select lines that you want to change the spacing. Press Ctrl + A to select all.

2. Go to Home > Paragraph Settings > Indents and Spacing.

3. Select Line Spacing Options and choose “Exactly” in the Line spacing box.

4. Put in the number of the pts. you want.

5. Select OK.

#10 Create a Job Search Tracking System and Store in the Cloud

You must keep track of where you applied, who you have spoken with, and the version of the resume you used, among other things. That is why you need to have some sort of job search tracking sheet. A simple spreadsheet with tabs for job search planning, networking, company research, applications, and interviews will suffice. The important thing is to keep this in the cloud for easy access. That way, if you meet someone in person and get a business card, you can put that information in your spreadsheet right away, when it is top-of-mind. Plus, since this job search information is critical, you do not want to chance losing it by having it reside on your computer’s hard drive.

Bonus Tip #11 Find People Active on LinkedIn at a Company

If a company is large, it may be hard to figure out which employees are active on LinkedIn. A hack to find employees engaged with LinkedIn is to go to a company page and see which employees react or comment on a post. While this is not sure-fire, it usually will indicate employees regularly on LinkedIn and see the company’s post in their news feed or are looking for them. For example, you might see people from the marketing department, as they will want to engage with the post to increase its distribution. Check who else is reacting or commenting. Then follow these individuals and start interacting with their posts and comments, both on the company page and any other place where they engage with content. You then can make a connection request, and hopefully, take the conversation offline.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.