According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 5.3 million people unemployed long-term. I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in. That’s more people than the entire population of Singapore. The hunt for a job has turned into survival of the fittest —and no we aren’t talking about The Hunger Games. This is a real problem, and unfortunately we aren’t living in a fictitious world where we come out on top.
Looking for a job is no easy feat. You have to be the best and impress during the interview– competing sometimes with hundreds of other qualified applicants. So how do spammers of the hottest social media site have to do with job hunting? Check out the lessons below to find out.
It’s a Numbers Game
No matter the site, spamming is a numbers game. The more emails, tweets, pins they push out the more likely it is they will make revenue. If it didn’t work they wouldn’t do it. The same thinking can be applied when applying to jobs—just on a smaller scale. You don’t want to go applying for 1,000 jobs a day. Instead come up with a number you want to hit every day. Maybe it’s five or ten. Just make sure you are keeping track of all of the jobs you apply to.
Test What Works
Not getting any response after you crafted the “perfect” cover letter? Do a quick Google search for example cover letters in your field. You never know where inspiration could hit. Try one or two different versions of the same cover letter and see which leads to more interviews. When being interviewed by The Daily Dot, the Pinterest Spammer (who later said he lied about being a spammer) said, “Well, when I started I did a test run to see what kind of traffic I could get. I manually posted pins for 4 hours straight and let them sit for a day. Next day I made something like $20 I think. So I decided to automate it cause I could see the huge potential this had.” Whether he is or isn’t a spammer, testing can be beneficial for many things.
Backup Plans
Spammers generate hundreds of different user accounts to penetrate social media sites. This allows them to keep spamming the site when one or even twenty of them get shut down. In essence they have a backup plan. Don’t be afraid to set up multiple interviews. Worst case scenario is you get offered multiple jobs and you get to choose which position is best for you. A great position to be in, and can lead to negotiations for hire salary.
Provide Information
Trying to make his spamming sound beneficial to others, the spammer in question went on to tell The Daily Dot, “sometimes I see users posting all kinds of valuable information on my pins, and some even review the product themselves. So really I could say I’m helping some people by showing them a product they might else have never heard of.” You might not agree with his statement, but there is something to be learned from it. Job recruiters are looking for value in their next hire. Make sure you are outlining to a potential employer exactly what you can bring to the table for them.
Emotional Disconnect
Job hunting can be tiring, and emotional. If you are unemployed the stress of paying your bills is hard enough—not to mention you have to eat too. Even with all of these added stressors don’t get your emotions involved. It’s ok to be passionate about your industry, but remember you might not be what the employer is looking for. That is ok. You don’t want to land a job and realize six months down the road you aren’t the right fit—then you are back at square one. The less you let emotions get in the way of career decisions the more successful you can become. According to the Pinterest spammer, “I have no guilt. I’m not trying to scam anyone, or upload viruses to their computer or anything like that. I simply show products to the Pinterest community. I realize that I’m spamming the crap out of the site, but it’s nothing personal, just business.”
Have you been on the job hunt recently? Give us your tips in the comments below.
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