creativecircle, Author at Creative Circle

On your resume, you only need to indicate the time frame you worked at a job. But often, those horribly redundant paper applications that even senior professionals have to fill out ask if you’ve ever been terminated from a job, so if you’ve been fired, it will probably come up during your interview. It’s tempting to sweep it under the rug, but your potential employer may contact previous employers to get the story, so it behooves you to be honest.

Fired vs. Being Laid Off

If your separation was due to a layoff, you shouldn’t be afraid of saying so. That’s just how the industry goes, and your interviewer probably understands. However, refrain from saying too much about the circumstances. You don’t want to appear as if you’re divulging sensitive or confidential information or look like you’re badmouthing your former bosses.

If, however, you were fired from a former job, it gets trickier. The good news is that you can still tell the truth in a way that keeps you in the running. Below are a few ways you might answer the question.

If you were fired because your work wasn’t meeting expectations:

“I really feel like I let my employer down. They have a reputation for producing terrific, innovative work, and I guess I didn’t understand exactly how high their standards were. I understand how important it is for a company like that to keep exceeding their clients’ expectations, and since being let go, I’ve taken steps to improve my own work, such as enrolling in a portfolio class and investing in online workshops.”

If you were fired for insubordination or because you were seen as a “problem child”:

“One of the many great things about working for the company was that they encouraged their employees to speak up and take ownership of their work. I’m the type of person who puts a lot of thought, effort and research into my opinions and positions, and I think it’s important to be able to articulate why you believe or support something. Unfortunately, I took it a little too far. I never meant to come across as being insubordinate or hard to work with, as I know how important it is to maintain good working relationships.”

If you were fired for not showing up, being drunk or under the influence, or other personal problems:

“I loved working at that company, but unfortunately, I was having some major challenges in my personal life. I let my issues get in the way of my performance and my professional life. Since being let go, I’ve been able to take a breather, seek professional help, and I’m in a much better place.”

If you were fired because you just couldn’t get along with key people, or a VP just didn’t like you (hey, it happens more than you might think):

“My former company was such a dynamic workplace, and they placed a premium on maintaining that company culture. Even though I work hard and it’s important to me to do my job to the best of my abilities, they thought I just didn’t fit the culture. I appreciate how important it is to fit in and be seen as team player, and this just wasn’t a good match.”

Rehearse it ahead of time and put it in your own words

The above are just examples of ways you might be able to address a firing, but they’re not the only ways to approach the answer. No matter how you decide to approach it, make sure your answer hits the right points: you’re sorry, you can accept responsibility for your situation, and you learned from the experience.

But once you figure out your answer, don’t waste any more energy worrying about it. Instead, spend time getting your portfolio in shape, preparing to engage and build a rapport with your interviewer, cementing a great first impression, and presenting the best version of your true self so an employer will realize that you’d be a great addition to both their workforce and their culture. Remember, interviewing can be unpleasant even in the best of situations, but the more you do it, the better you get. And before long, you won’t need to do it again!

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

There will come a time in your advertising or marketing career when you will think one of the following:

“I am sick and tired of working these long hours.”
“I am sick and tired of working for a total moron.”
“I am sick and tired of working these long hours just to make the total moron I work for rich.”

Whether it’s a craving to be in control of your life, your career, your finances, or your creative output, many of us daydream about striking out on our own and opening an agency. Yet very few of us know what it takes, and many more of us doubt we could make a go of it.

Joven Orozco thought he could, and so he did. His agency, Jovenville, has been around in one incarnation or another for more than 20 years. Today, his 10-person agency (give or take) counts blue-chip companies such as Mattel, the City of Santa Monica, and Disney as clients. Joven took the rare route of almost never working for someone else; instead, he knew, right out of college, that he wanted to have his own company.

(In full disclosure, I’ve freelanced for Joven for almost 10 years and I consider him a friend as well as a boss and a kick-butt creative director.)

I interviewed Joven about his experiences. Besides being food for thought for anyone who’s ever considered leaving the nest, he also reveals insights that can help freelancers get better at managing their own businesses.

Why did you decide to open your own agency so early in your career?
I figured, “If I fail, I can always get a job.” In 1995, the design industry was booming, and I had five separate job offers. I was planning on working in entertainment and living the Hollywood lifestyle, but instead, I came across an opportunity in Newport Beach that set me up as an independent contractor inside a design consultancy. The deal was: I would pay rent for a cubicle and they’d feed me work when they were over capacity or needed creative help. I was also able to bring in my own clients and utilize the space as I pleased. It truly was a beauty salon business model!

The design consultancy also offered me guidance on how to set up my firm, how to run it and deal with clients. The guys who ran it were about 10-15 years older than me, had many years of agency experience and decided to create an agency that was different. Not only did I learn more than I would have working many years in an agency, I learned anything is possible.

Were you ever scared that you might not make it?
Yes. There have been times when I’ve missed several mortgage payments. I can lose it all any day … even today. Fear is a good thing.

How did you go after new clients?
I’ve always done a lot of promotional campaigns for the agency. We’ve become more sophisticated with a fully integrated marketing effort to go after specific niche clients.

Positioning is everything. If you’re an expert in a space, there are people willing to work with you, even if you’re not in their region. Most generalist design firms become commodities and are priced out to the lowest bid.

Since you own your own agency, you aren’t just involved with the creative. What other “hats” do you wear to keep the doors open?
Vision hat: Determine the strategic direction of the business
Sales hat: Close new business
Strategy hat: Strategy for client brands
Leader hat: Encourage staff to grow and be better

What are the five most essential characteristics for anyone wanting to try something like this?
Risk-taker, risk-taker, risk-taker, risk-taker, risk-taker.
It takes a certain kind of entrepreneur who can take on certain levels of risks … I say risk-taker five times:

5. Sometimes you have to change the design direction the night before the client presentation.

What’s the best part of your job?
Freedom. I’ve been able to design a life/company that allows us to go home at 6 and not work weekends. We bring our experiences back into our work: It’s really tough to create when stressed out, so we, as a family, always help each other out. There’s plenty of good, profitable work out there, and if a client doesn’t appreciate what good design can do for their business, we just don’t work with them again. So basically … freedom to do whatever I want to do.

Are you up for the challenge?
If you want to open your own agency or business, it may require you to flex beyond your current skill set, but think of the payoff: being able to choose your own clients, make your own schedule (most of the time, anyway), and be in control of your life while doing the work you believe in.

To learn more about Jovenville and the type of work you can do when you open your own agency and call the shots, visit Jovenville.com.

You’ve probably been told that you should treat looking for a job as a job in itself — that is, approach it with the same degree of conviction, professionalism and tenacity as you would if you were getting paid for it. But you should also apply your best professional skills and acumen to turn your resume, portfolio and online presence into an integrated marketing campaign.

Instead of making random updates to your resume and thinking about your portfolio independently, treat them like they’re part of your integrated marketing campaign. Unlike the old days when a resume sent in to a “help wanted” ad was the only part of you a potential employer saw, there are now countless ways employers and recruiters might find you. It can range from Googling you and viewing your portfolio to downloading your resume from a job board to going down the “people also viewed” rabbit hole on LinkedIn. How can you create your own integrated marketing campaign to make each impression count even more?

Think synergy

Synergy is one of the most overused words in advertising or marketing, but it’s an important concept. By creating families of related things, the individual parts add up to something more than if you were simply creating one-offs. That’s the whole idea behind this: that your resume, your portfolio, your business card, your social media feed and even your invoices all look like they belong in the same family or are part of the same personal brand.

If you’re on the art side, this probably comes more naturally to you. But if you’re a copywriter, think about making sure your color palette, font choices/typography, and use of graphics or images align consistently.

Don’t get hung up on your brand being an expression of your personality.

When you’re developing your personal brand, don’t focus so much on the “personal” aspect. Obviously, you should find your own marketing materials attractive (since you’re probably going to look at them hundreds of times during your job search), but don’t get hung up on reflecting aspects of yourself like what a girly-girl you are, or that you’re into tech, or that everyone thinks you’d be a great comedian. You can give your visual identity a style, but make sure it complements your skills and aspirations.

Art directors, designers and illustrators are expected to have more flair in their creations, but avoid jokey or garish fonts. Be creative, but don’t give a hiring manager any reason to automatically dismiss you before you even get to the interview stage.

However, DO find a way to include some of those important points that make you, you. If your extracurriculars have even a shred of relevance to your career (e.g., you do improv, you run a fashion blog, you’re teaching yourself to code), find a way to include it. Increasingly, employers are looking at potential candidates for what they add to the company culture, and the more your resume can reflect your authentic self, the better.

Tailor your resume and your portfolio, too

If you’re like me, you probably have a million variations of your resume on your computer, each tailored to a slightly different opportunity. (Though I hope, unlike me, you come up with a system for naming them so you know exactly what you’re sending out.) But what about your portfolio?

Tailoring your portfolio can be more time intensive, but it will give your job search a boost by showing a would-be employer you have exactly the kind of skills and experience they’re looking for.

For example, if I’m pursuing a specific opportunity, such as going after a client in hospitality or tourism, or responding to an ad seeking an expert in branded content, I’ll create a page that showcases about eight to 10 relevant examples. (Portfolio templates on platforms like Squarespace make the exercise practically “drag and drop” so I’m done in an hour.) I also still provide a link to my portfolio, since that provides a more thorough review of my skills.

If you’re competent with InDesign, you can also set up a portfolio template, and then quickly switch in and out projects based on the job you’re applying for. The extra work that goes into either one of these solutions is worth it to better your odds, and employers will really appreciate your effort.

Boost your LinkedIn presence

Your social media presence matters in your job search. And chances are that LinkedIn is the first place potential employers will go. Make sure your LinkedIn summary syncs up with what you’re putting on your resume. Use either a professional headshot or a simple, appropriate photo — don’t break out your best Blue Steel; just look well put-together and like you’re at least making an effort. Include a link to your portfolio. Again, treat this like another aspect of a job, and make your actions on this platform strategic: share and comment on posts that are relevant to your ambitions, join a targeted group such as B2B Technology Marketing Community or Search Engine Land, and network with others in your industry. And never, ever, ever spam your contacts with, “Hey, can you help me get a job?”

Remember: It takes more than one TV commercial to make a sale

Just like a single billboard or banner ad is often not enough to get a consumer to pick up the phone, your own YOU campaign may require a few touches to get it to stick. This is especially true for freelancers who are marketing their services to new clients. Make sure each one of those touches works to support your job search or has been tailored for a specific opportunity or to highlight a particular skill set.

You also may need to tinker with your campaign to improve your results. When you make it to the interview stage, don’t be afraid to ask what appealed in your resume or portfolio. If you hear the same thing often enough, think about making similar changes throughout. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from professionals you trust, either. Keep at it, and before long, you’ll go from going through the motions to having a job!

Most advertising creatives are “big picture” kind of people, and there are probably a great many reasons we didn’t pursue careers in law or finance — which means very few of us take the time to read the contracts we sign, or to debate the merits of being a W2 employee versus being a 1099 independent contractor.

While neither sexy nor glamorous, the paperwork you do on that first day of your job can have an enormous impact on your career and on your finances. For example, the contract you sign may limit your job opportunities once you leave the company. And depending on which tax form you fill out, you could owe a lot more at the end of the year even though you may see more in your paycheck every week.

Below is a brief explanation of all the things you’re committing to when you sign an advertising contract or fill out a form for the IRS. Don’t stop learning here — do your own research so you can protect yourself and plan for your future.

What’s in a Typical Agency Contract

It’s nothing personal against you, but advertising contracts are put in place to guarantee that employees don’t run off with an agency’s clients or try to profit off work that was created with the agency’s resources. Whether you’re an independent contractor or a full-time employee, you may need to sign a contract before you begin work.

If you’re a good, conscientious employee, you won’t have much to worry about. But it’s still worth taking a few minutes to read through the contract, especially since you’re signing a document that may limit your opportunities once you leave the company.

Non-compete Clauses

You’ve worked on a particular account, probably become friendly with their brand manager and other executives, and know their business inside and out. What’s to keep you from leaving the agency, contacting the client on your own, and proposing to do work for them at a fraction of the price the agency charged them?

A non-compete clause, that’s what. These safeguards are written into most standard agency contracts. Should you leave the agency for any reason, it’s meant to prohibit you from reaching out to their clients (or really, any of the clients who are with the agency while you are) and proposing to do work for them. Depending on the specific wording, you may also be prohibited from going to another agency and then working with certain clients, usually for a specified time like one or two years.

Ownership of Designs, Inventions, and Work Product

That website that you worked so hard on for one of your clients — conceiving it, researching it, and writing all the content? That’s not actually yours. At least, not if you’ve signed a contract with a clause about ownership of design. This is basically saying that while you’re an employee, your employer owns all the creative output produced on the premises or created using the company’s resources. That means they own it, always and forever, without you receiving any additional compensation. This also applies to things you create that have nothing to do with the company, but do on company time or using company property.

Confidentiality Agreement

This language prohibits you from revealing protected or confidential information about either the agency or its clients. However, this one isn’t always as black and white as “working for Pepsi and then running to Coca-Cola to sell the secret formula.” Where many creative people run afoul of this is by including work-in-progress or internal communications in their portfolio. Both have the potential to reveal confidential information about a company, and as such, the advertising agency could step in and take legal action against you.

If you worked on a project that you want to include in your portfolio and you’re not sure if you’re on the right side of the agreement, your best bet is to discuss this with your creative director or another executive who understands both the company’s policies and how agreeable (or not) the client in question would be. You may be given a thumbs-up, providing you strip out identifying and confidential information, and then put it on a password-protected page. Or you may be flat-out denied, which is a bummer, but it’s better than being sued.

Filling out Forms for the IRS

At your new job, you will either be considered an employee, or if you’re a freelancer, an independent contractor. Your status will have a huge impact on your paycheck, as well as how you file your taxes at the end of the year.

If you’re an employee, you’ll receive a W2 form from your employer.

Prior to your employment, you’ll fill out a form that asks for information such as your address and Social Security number. You’ll also be able to claim allowances or dependents. If you’re a W2 employee, your employer will withhold applicable taxes (Social Security, state and federal income tax, Medicare tax) as well as payment for your benefits, such as medical, dental or transit. Basically, so much will be taken out of your paycheck that you will get sticker shock, but at least at the end of the year you will owe less in taxes and may even get money back.

If you’ve claimed allowances or dependents, you’ll have less taken out of every paycheck, but you could end up owing more at the end of the year.

If you’re a freelancer or independent contractor, then you’ll receive a 1099.

Even if you’re an independent contractor, you’ll still need to fill out tax forms. But when you get your paycheck, nothing will be deducted from it. For example, if you work 20 hours at a rate of $40 per hour, then your paycheck will be $800. Technically, you are not on the company’s payroll, and when you invoice your client, you’re seen as a vendor, no different than outsourced IT or repair services.
But you are responsible for paying not only state and federal income tax on these earnings, but also both your share and your employer’s (again, that’s you) share for Social Security and Medicare taxes. Currently that amounts to 15.3% on earnings of up to $127,200, and this is on top of all the other taxes. (But at least some portion of it’s tax-deductible.) Freelancer rates are often much higher compared to regular employees, and that’s to cover all these taxes and payments, along with the fact that outside contractors aren’t eligible for benefits.

Help is available!

If you have questions, ask your human resources professional or recruiter. It’s their job to translate all these concepts into simple language and explain the impact on your finances and your life.

If you’re just starting out as a freelancer, find a good tax professional ASAP! They can give you advice on all the little things you can do to keep more of your money at the end of the year.

The best way to consistently crank out “B-minus,” mediocre copy is to read nothing but ads and industry publications. Even the best ad copy is just a narrow window into the possibilities of language that should get your head exploding with ideas. For the creative who wants to become a better copywriter, these people can inspire you to get to the next level.

Malcolm Gladwell

You may not know his name, but you’ve probably heard the idea that it takes 10,000 hours to truly become a master of something, which Malcolm Gladwell wrote about at length in his 2008 book, “Outliers.” He’s a walking, breathing TED Talk: he’s brilliant, insightful, and ever in search of questions without answers.

Across books like “Outliers,” “Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and “David and Goliath,” his omnivorous intellect romps through questions like how fashion trends (and disease epidemics) get started, why the best Canadian hockey players are born in January and February, and how much information is the right amount and how much results in “analysis paralysis.”

A playful brain is probably one of the most important assets a copywriter can have, and you could do worse than trying to emulate Gladwell’s broad-ranging curiosity. Read Gladwell and then challenge yourself to “think different” before your next big creative assignment.

Allie Brosh

Allie Brosh was in school to become a scientist when she started Hyperbole and a Half, a comic and blog that explores the trials and tribulations of marching to the beat of a different drummer, as well as catalogues her struggles with mental illness. It is poignant, true to life, and spit-liquid-out-your-nose funny; usually all those things, at once. In 2013, AdAge lauded her as one of the 50 most influential creative figures in the world. Bill Gates is a fan.

She uses everything in her arsenal to tell a story and solve a problem creatively: Brosh is not a fine artist, but she adopted Paintbrush graphics to great effect. Even though her blog reaches millions, her stories make you feel like they were written especially for you. It’s not a cliché to say that the Brosh brand is strong.

Sadly, Brosh seems to have fallen off the map; Hyperbole and a Half has been dormant since 2013. It still lives online (and there’s also a book), and it’s an excellent resource for anyone needing a creative boost.

Stephen King

One of the things I love about Stephen King’s first few books is his utter devotion to spinning a good yarn. He works lean and mean, without getting bogged down in unnecessary subplots, yet he still manages to fully animate his characters and the worlds they live in. While maybe not everyone has the stomach for books like “The Shining,” “Cujo,” or “Carrie,” they show King at the height of his story-telling powers—and what is advertising, if not storytelling?

Another reason King is on the list: his nonfiction book “On Writing” is one of the most insightful books on the craft, combining interesting personal anecdotes with practical observations and advice for anyone who writes (yes, copywriters, too).

David Sedaris

If you’re an NPR nerd like me, then you’re probably already familiar with David Sedaris, whose quirky personal essays about topics such as family, being an American living abroad, and the merits of taxidermy as holiday gifts regularly grace the pages of The New Yorker. No one is better at finding humor in the mundane than Sedaris, who’s often referred to as this generation’s Mark Twain.

There’s a longstanding debate as to whether ads should be funny or not — especially because we’re in an era when emotional realness is the flavor of the day. By mining the relatable, the human, and the everyday, Sedaris creates humor that connects with the emotions.

Sedaris is easy to read, and The New Yorker archives are a good starting point for anyone who wants to get to know his work.

James Ellroy

You may already know James Ellroy as a screenwriter on the award-winning neo-noir film, “LA Confidential”, or as the author of the true crime opus, “Black Dahlia.” Ellroy’s enviable career had a nightmarish start: His mother’s grisly, unsolved murder started him on a path that first detoured into petty crimes and general antisocial behavior until he found redemption behind a typewriter.

What makes Ellroy a standout is his use of dialogue: It’s staccato and alive and creates a vivid portrait of the person speaking. Even if you removed everything but the dialogue, you’d understand the characters and have a rich, cohesive narrative. Still, he does not skimp on the details or action, writing prose that is both evocative and descriptive.

In advertising, we’re often told that we need to show, rather than tell. Ellroy uses words to paint graphic pictures and then further burnishes those images with his tone and pacing.

Just read it (and see it and listen to it)

Don’t stop with these five sources: One of the most important parts of becoming a better copywriter is constantly seeking out things that stoke your imagination and fire up the language center of your brain — it doesn’t need to be the written word! Keep challenging yourself to find not only the best culture, but anything that’s new and different.

Right now, I’m looking at a posting for a senior copywriter that indicates the salary could be anywhere from $65,000 to $110,000 a year. This begs the question, if they’re doing the same job, what makes one copywriter worth 1.5x more than their peers?

Believe it or not, these salary figures aren’t arbitrary (but they’re not set in stone, either). And if you want a good one, you will need to be able to understand the value of your strengths and skills before you start negotiating. Below are some of the factors that can influence your perceived worth.

Your Years of Experience

Raw experience, or years in the business, is a huge factor in determining pay at the beginning and the more advanced years of your career. When you’re first starting out, it matters because employers want to make sure you understand how work in an agency or firm gets done. They want to know if you’ve worked with an account team, collaborated with a creative partner, know how to read and use a creative brief, and/or understand the protocol of the business of advertising.

Even if you don’t have a lot of employment history, include internships, relevant volunteer work and relevant roles. Always be honest: i.e., don’t claim you were a full-time employee if you were only an intern or a part-time freelancer.

Believe it or not, advanced formal schooling won’t give you that much of a bump — at least not in the creative department where your currency is your portfolio. On the other hand, focused advertising-skills workshops such as Bookshop and Adobe or other technical certifications can increase your value.

The Value of Name Recognition

I wish I didn’t have to say this, but it’s true that having a few big-name agencies or brands on your resume can make all the difference (even though, to be honest, I’ve known true hacks who, through politicking and networking, have landed at the kind of big-name, big-budget agencies that are covered in Adweek all the time). Having these names on your resume telegraphs to employers a certain level of creativity and talent for which they may be willing to pay you more — and if an agency pays you more, that means they can bill their clients more, too.

Even if you can’t claim a stint at 72andSunny or Mother, do play up any big-name brands you’ve worked on, even in-house, especially if the position you’re aiming for will be working in the industry or category.

The Skills You Bring

Obviously, you aren’t even going to get an interview if you don’t have certain fundamental skills on your resume. For example, if you’re applying for an SEO copywriter role and you don’t have a proficiency in Google Analytics as a bullet on your resume, or you want to get into an agency that has a lot of CPG clients and all you have is B2B experience, you may not even be considered. But if all the stars align and the agency is looking for skills and experience that you have, try to make the most of them in negotiations. Even if they’re not listed in the job description, talk up extracurriculars: your travel blog or on-the-side photography business are still at least in the ballpark and add to your overall worth.

What everyone else is worth

When in doubt, go online to employment sites like Glassdoor and Indeed to research what people in similar positions, locations, and companies have made. Although these sites won’t tell you the whole story, they’ll give you a good starting point, and you can prepare yourself by seeing local averages and what similar positions in other companies have paid.

Take everything you learn on these sites with a grain of salt, however: They usually only reflect the experience of people who’ve had not-so-positive interactions with a company.

Other Benefits to Negotiate

So you’ve done your homework, feel good about your number, and the employer likes you — but can’t meet your request. You still might be able to make something work by negotiating other benefits like vacation, work-from-home days, health care coverage, or rapid-track promotions. This great article about negotiating the salary you want will give you ideas for other variables that can be negotiated so you can feel satisfied with your compensation and give your new employer your best work.

There is no way to sugarcoat it: The job search can be a painful, soul-sucking, ego-bruising endeavor. And that’s on top of the stress of either having a job that isn’t right for you, or not having a job at all.

Full disclosure: I just lost my regular, full-time gig. One of my recent shop’s clients pulled way back on business, and there were just too many creatives and not enough work. This was my third layoff in the last 2½ years! That’s just some #agencylife realness for you. So anyway, you can believe me when I say I’ve got the job search thing down to a science.

When I have to start a new job search (such as I am doing today), I like to gamify it, or take a game-like approach to it: breaking it down into challenges with quantifiable actions, trying to hit certain targets, and then rewarding myself when I do. Below are some ways I’ve approached my own job searches, and some of the tips I use to get potential employers to respond to me.

Break your search into manageable, quantifiable goals

Getting a new job is hard, but if you break it down into small key steps, it’s not such a big deal. For example, the steps in your job search might be researching potential companies, making new connections on LinkedIn, reaching out to former co-workers, and applying to job postings. Figure out each step that goes into your job search, and then give yourself a numerical goal per week. For your particular position, experience level, and industry, there may only be a handful of jobs on the boards for you to apply to, but that just means you should think about assigning yourself more companies to research.

Another benefit of thinking about your job search this way is that you’ll figure out a system that will help you use your time much more efficiently. I like to set up a specific day and time to complete each task because it’s easier to hold myself accountable. Creating a schedule and sticking to it keeps you engaged, which can help you avoid that free-floating what-am-I-doing-with-my-life angst that can creep up on you when you don’t have a job.

Treat your resume and cover letter project like an SEO game

Unless you have an “in” at a company and have an actual email address to send your resume to, your resume will probably be scanned by a bot or a system that combs your resume looking for keywords that correspond to the skills or experience that company is looking for. So your first challenge is making sure your resume isn’t automatically kicked out. The same way companies use search engine optimization (SEO) to rise to the top of a query on Google, you’re going to rise to the top of a prospective employer’s inbox.

Customize your resume to each posting you apply for, and make sure you have at least 50% of the keywords in the ad woven through your resume at least once (and that includes the job title). If you use a summary section on your resume, consider front-loading many of the keywords. If you do get the resume past the digital gatekeeper, it will probably be reviewed by someone in HR who has about 20 seconds to figure out if you’re a potential candidate, so you’ll need to convince them fast.

Of course, your resume should still read and sound natural, especially if you’re a writer or work in account services. Make sure these communications reflect your personal brand and connect the dots with all the keywords to tell a compelling story of how you can help the employer and what skills you have to do it.

Keep track of where you’ve been

There’s one thing all games have in common: going back and repeating actions you’ve already taken doesn’t advance you to the next level. Repeatedly applying to the same positions won’t earn you any points. Keeping track of your applications on a spreadsheet or other kind of list can help you avoid multiple applications, and being able to see a track record of your efforts will help you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Plus, if you’re filing unemployment claims, having a list with the dates and names of your applications can help you fill out the online forms in just a few minutes.

Challenge achieved: Reward yourself

Finding a job is often the toughest work you’ll ever have. And even though you’re basically spending your time talking up how awesome you are, it still can make you feel awful. Finding a new job is all about persistence, but it’s OK to take a day off here and there. If you’ve completed all your tasks for the week and can’t bring yourself to do another thing, treat yourself to a day off from your job search. Then hit it hard when you get back to it on Monday (or whichever day).

Another benefit to breaking your search down into these quantifiable chunks is that you have a simple feedback loop. If you’re getting a good response rate, then keep doing what you’re doing. If not, you can simply tweak some of the numbers until you’re getting more phone calls and emails. Getting a new job is very much a numbers game, but keep at it, and your hard work is bound to pay off!