Gamify Your Job Search: The Cheat Codes You Need to Land a Job

Job hunting is often a stressful, punishing and long-winded process with deafening silence and tons of rejection from employers. Someone once described the job hunt as "like a job in itself." Throw into the mix that most people only ever rely on job sites to try and secure a job, the gruelling reality cuts deep, leaving you feeling raw and unprepared. It can feel like your applications and CVs are being sent into the digital void or they get tasered at the first attempt by the ATS (applicant tracking software) overlords.

“If you’re just going on the internet [to look for a job], you’re chances of being successful are very low.” –Bill Burnett

The Gamified Approach

Enough of identifying the emotional pain points: at the tile screen select Up, Down, Left, Right then hold A and press Start to select your level! This gamified approach to job hunting is divided into several levels, each with its own mini-quests and achievements to make the job search not just productive and more effective, but also engaging.

Level 1: Mapping Your Territory

Task: Identify industries and people of interest through curiosity-driven exploration. Use research tools like LinkedIn and industry-specific forums and meet-ups to find out about what’s happening on the ground and discover essential insights to help you get closer to getting in.

Achievement Unlocked: The Career Cartographer - for mapping out new industry insights, connections and possibilities!

Level 2: Weaving Your Network

Task: Purposefully connect with interesting people in your fields of interest. Use online tools like LinkedIn extensively -- including their alumni tools, the 'people' tab on specific companies and join groups -- to bring all of your connections together in one place and create your very own Bacon Number. It's important to ALWAYS 'add a note' when connecting with people, to maximise your chances of being accepted as a connection, but also because it's the polite and professional thing to do. Don't overthink it, go with something like this:

Hi X, 

I loved your post about A, especially the part about C.

I’m a D student at E, looking to learn more about F and build my network in the industry. 

I’d love to connect!

Achievement Unlocked: The Career Weaver - for establishing connections with at least 20 professionals

Level 3: Hearing Industry Career Stories

Task: Reach out to at least 5 contacts to hear their career story. This isn't about asking for a job, but learning more about people's career story, industry, roles, and what companies look for in candidates. Do this from a position of curiosity and, just like making the initial connection request, always personalise your approach. Here's an example you could tailor:

Hello [Name] - I appreciate the connection!

I’m exploring career paths in [mention field/industry] and find your experience incredibly insightful, especially your work with [mention project/company/people if relevant].

Would you be open to a brief call/Zoom/Coffee to share a bit about how you navigated your own career?

I’d love to hear any advice or lessons that shaped your journey.

Achievement Unlocked: The Career Scholar - for gaining insider knowledge through these interviews.

Level 4: Digitising Your Career Story

Task: Develop digital collateral where you can showcase your work, projects, or any creative endeavours relevant to your career interests. This could include writing samples, design work, video content, coding projects, or anything that demonstrates your skills, interests and thinking. Commit to posting or updating content regularly. This could be weekly posts, monthly project updates, or timely insights on industry trends. Building a habit of doing this will naturally draw interesting people to you, leveraging the internet's viral power to expand your opportunities and increase your luck surface area.

Achievement Unlocked: The Career Sage - for maintaining regular updates every week and attracting new followers and industry.

Level 5: The Application Marathon

Task: Apply widely but wisely, and this includes applying for jobs that pique your interest. Don't talk yourself out of applying if you've suddenly realised that your skills and experiences don't quite match. Don't self reject and opt yourself in as you never fully know what the employer is looking for (and, here's a secret, neither do they). For every single application, make it non-negotiable to tailor your approach based on what specifics are being asked for. These specifics will be provided on the job advert in the form of either a person specification or essential requirements. Be sure to use the keywords in the job advert whilst providing impactful examples to prove your worth. Use job tracking tools or a simple spreadsheet to keep track of where, when, and what you've applied for.

Achievement Unlocked: The Career Marathoner - for reaching 10 applications with tailored content for each.

Level 6: The Feedback Loop

• Task: Always attempt to follow up and get feedback on your applications (and when you've not heard back from someone you've tried to connect with). It’s rare that you will receive this automatically if not shortlisted, but it’s always worth a punt and it might just give you the info you need to secure an interview next time. Use this to refine your approach and go again.

• Achievement Unlocked: The Career Iterator - for implementing feedback in subsequent applications.

Secret Level: Creative Speculation

• Task: Identify companies that you want to work for. Sometimes, the best opportunities are those that companies haven't realised they need to fill yet because they've not heard from you! Consider a creative approach to grab the attention of the employer – like arranging for a burger, fries, Spotify playlist and CV in the style of a receipt to be delivered to the directors at lunchtime on a Friday (true story!) -- leaving them no choice but to invite you in for chat or even give you a job! Whilst something like this is highly creative and daring, it hits the mark because it's grounded in research and highly personalised to the recipients. Plus if you tried something like this and it didn't hit the mark, you could share your story as a post on LinkedIn and attract interesting people to you (and they might have a job for you).

• Achievement Unlocked: The Creative Chancer - for identifying at least one unadvertised job opportunity.

Game Over

Congratulations! You've dodged pitfalls, navigated through uncertainty, long periods of silence and rejection, solved cryptic clues (like beating the ATS with the right keywords), and faced down your wildest fears of making new connections with industry, all whilst learning the skills of successful job hunting and giving yourself the best chances of continued success.

Checkpoint: Review what you've learned, who you've met, and how your strategy has evolved. Make sure to keep in touch with the new people you've met along the way and even turn your journey into a piece of content to share with your network.

Boss Encounter: The first interview or serious job lead that comes from your efforts here signifies the end of this game.

What other cheat codes would you recommend?