To Boost Your Prospects, Don't Be A Job Seeker. Be A Job Shopper

Forbes

01-04-2025

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Looking for a job? Whatever you do, resist the temptation to 'flood the zone' with applications. To stand out, you must be strategic in building your online brand, networking, interviewing, and negotiating.
That's the counsel of Madeline Mann, author of Reverse the Search: How to Turn Job Seeking into Job Shopping. A former HR recruiter, Mann has spun her insider knowledge of the hiring process into an award-winning career coaching empire called Self Made Millennial. Her YouTube channel has had more than 24 million views and her other social media posts attract millions more.
Clearly, people welcome smart help in finding the right job. Mann says an important key is to switch paradigms (and tactics) from being a job seeker to being a job shopper.
'The switch challenges the entire way people have been conditioned to approach their career,' Mann says. 'We've been taught to follow the employer's directions at every step of the hiring process, wait patiently for their responses, and do our best to answer their questions. But Job Shoppers are aware that this causes you to fade into the background, and instead know how to unearth opportunities, get noticed, and take interviews in different directions.'
Madeline Mann
Mann says most people conduct a job search like they've been handed a Rubik's Cube for the first time. What does that look like in terms of observable behaviors?
'Most people frantically do many actions in the job search, but their results don't match the effort—like tirelessly turning a Rubik's Cube without knowing the strategy to solve it,' she says. 'This looks like applying to dozens or even hundreds of jobs online, believing that sheer volume will increase their chances. If they try networking, they do it haphazardly—sending their résumé to people and asking for their help. When they finally get an interview, they treat it like an exam they have to pass. They study hard, but it's a lot of misguided energy that makes the preparation ineffective.'
Mann has identified several job seeking myths.
'Many job seekers think applying for lower-level roles will make their search easier, but overqualification is a red flag for employers,' she says. 'They worry you'll leave quickly or demand a promotion. Instead, target roles that match or stretch your experience and highlight transferable skills.'
Another myth, she says, is that more education makes you stand out. 'In reality, degrees are often just a baseline requirement. Many professionals use additional schooling to procrastinate instead of building relationships and hands-on experience, which are far more effective.'
Some believe job searching is a numbers game, but only a fraction of hires come from job boards. 'Rather than mass-applying, focus on the right roles, personal branding, meaningful connections, and strong positioning,' she advises.
Being open to many types of roles can also backfire. 'Employers want people who clearly know exactly what role they want,' Mann says. F'inally, waiting for the perfect opportunity leads to stagnation. Job Shoppers take control, strategically exploring options to land the right role with confidence.'
Mann says that even in an employer's market, job shoppers have leverage.
'Despite receiving many applications, companies still struggle to find the right talent,' she says. 'Job Shoppers use this to their advantage by focusing their strategy on easing the hiring managers' concerns about making an offer. First, they do all the hard work up front to match themselves to why they are a fit for the role and the overall company. Then in the interview they showcase their skills through vivid examples, work samples, and deeper conversations, making employers see them as part of the team. When done well, this approach doesn't just land an offer—it makes companies eager to stretch their offer to secure them.'
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For people choosing their next career step, Mann recommends focusing on three core factors.
'The first is strengths,' she says. 'Your job should be something you're naturally good at and regularly gets you into a flow state. The second is values. Focus less on your passions and interests and more on what you value in a job. That could be professional growth, time flexibility, a social environment, and so on. Fithat nally, ensure your next career move has good market demand. This means that the salary (and salary trajectory) fits what you need financially, and that the number of open roles are increasing year over year instead of decreasing.'
By focusing on these three things, she says, you are much more likely to land a role that you enjoy and compensates you well without having unrealistic expectations of what a 'dream job' should be.
Mann emphasizes that 'your résumé isn't about you.'
'We were taught to put all our best accomplishments on our résumés, but this isn't a good strategy,' she says. 'Instead, study what the employer is asking for and build your résumé back from that. On your résumé put only accomplishments that are what the employer is looking for, even if that represents a small fraction of your total work and ignores some of your biggest career moments.'
Finally, Mann offers negotiating tips for job candidates.
'When a company gives you an offer, and you counter with a higher amount, know that it is common for them to come back with an amount that is between their offer and your counter,' she says. 'Therefore, when you're making your counter, observe the midpoint between the two salaries and ensure that is a number you would accept. Additionally, make your counter offer an unusual number, like $188,500. This gives the impression that the salary was well researched and may get you a few extra thousand dollars.'