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That is, unfortunately, a pretty common theme, right now, but there could be several reasons for it. Let me ask you a few (maybe more) questions. These questions are somewhat hypothetical. I don't need you to tell me whether or not you are doing any of the following, but if you have questions about what I mean, I'll answer. You can ask here so that others can also participate in the conversation, or message me privately.
- What is the minimum acceptable outcome (MAO) of your job search? Are you focused on meeting/exceeding your MAO, or applying to anything and everything that has the words "Project Manager" in the job description?
- How are you positioning yourself? Are you invisible on social media, trying to be an influencer, posting without concern for how a potential employer might view your content, or intentional about your posting (not too much, not too little, whatever that means) and coming across as thoughtful and courteous?
- How up to date are your LinkedIn Headline and About Me sections? Have you looked at these sections on project managers and people who are where you want to be to see what they're doing?
- Does the experience you include on LinkedIn tell a similar story as your resume?
- Do you have current endorsements on your LinkedIn profile?
- Do you have "Open to Work" enabled on LinkedIn, but only for recruiters to see?
- Does your resume demonstrate that you understand both the position and the problems they're facing and have experience solving similar problems? Your resume is not about you. They don't want to read how you spend your days. They want to know how you can help them. Are you leading with value-adding statements in your experience section?
- How are you growing and leveraging your network? Do you ask for informational interviews to learn more about positions and companies? Do you build trust and then ask for referrals?
- Are you reaching out to recruiters and agencies?
- Are you watching multiple online job boards like Indeed, Dice, Monster, etc. and setting up notifications to be alerted as soon as new jobs are posted? Are you applying to recently posted jobs or jobs that are aging (and might not really be open anymore)?
- I'm hesitant to ask this last question, but it's becoming the new normal - are you using AI to ask for help in improving your resume? You don't have to accept every suggestion, but I strongly recommend you doublecheck any recommendations you keep to avoid misrepresenting yourself because the AI imagined experience or qualifications you don't have. Then, try and rewrite the suggestions so that it doesn't read like a computer wrote it.
Often, if you're applying to a lot of jobs and not hearing anything back, there's something wrong with your resume. Maybe it's formatted/structured wrong or missing keywords and not getting past the applicant tracking system (ATS). Maybe you're over- or under-qualified, or have the wrong kind of experience. Maybe there's too much irrelevant information on your resume, or you're not including keywords from the job description in your resume and cover letter. It could be a combination of factors.
These are all things that you should look at and ask yourself "Am I doing this? and "Can I do this?", then do the things you can. Maybe some of it doesn't make sense - that's okay. People get jobs without doing everything I've mentioned; these are simply things you can do to increase your chances of finding a job that meets your MAO.
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