The marketing movement. By Refine Left. Okay, well hello everyone. The people team is taking over the podcast today.
And so we are excited. The topic today is navigating the market as a candidate. And actually everyone on my team is going to be recording podcasts. So this is one of many.
So we are very excited about that. So first we're going to do an introduction. So I have Kim here with me, who is our talent advisor. So I'm going to let her introduce herself.
And then I'll actually introduce myself because I know that most of you don't know who I am either. So this will be fun. So Kim, I'll let you kick it off. Hello everyone.
My name is Kim. I am one of the talent advisors here at Refine Labs. And I do all of our demand recruiting. So our hiring for directors of the man generation and our performance marketing managers and have also got to help with everything in between.
So excited to chat more about navigating the candidate, navigating the market as a candidate. And hopefully it can give you some good tips. Perfect. And then I am Jessica Williams, VP of people.
So I've been with the company for about five years, I wish, five months. It feels like five years. That's why I said that. But yeah, so we are building the people from the ground up.
So I'm very excited about the things that we're doing and how this impacts employees and the candidate experience. So yeah, five months in, we built things from the ground up and we're very excited. I know a lot of you know about our culture playbooks. So that's something that's really big that impacts the candidates.
And so we're just excited about all the new ideas that we have. We don't believe in traditional HR really. And so that's why we call ourselves the people team. And you'll hear more about that as the other members of the team do their podcast episodes as well.
So the topic navigating the market as a candidate, what made you think of this, Kim? How did this idea come to you? Yeah. What I was thinking about the podcast topics and how I could probably provide the most value.
I was just thinking about, you know, with everything happening right now, you've probably seen tons of posts about the great resignation. And I just see all the time on, you know, the channels that I'm plugged into on social media about how a struggle there is for people that are looking for roles right now and just so much has changed in the last two years even. And so just thought about some of the things that I see day to day and how I could maybe speak to some of those for candidates that don't know and hopefully help some people out as they're searching for jobs. So that's a really tough thing to do and can be really, be really disheartening at times.
And so hoping to again, just give some constructive and helpful feedback to maybe make the process a little bit easier for people. Yeah. I 100% agree. And I think a great resignation is something that it's almost the point of like tiring to hear about it.
People that are in the talent or like people's face are a little bit over it. But it's so true. And I heard somebody else call it the great reshuffling. So people are reshuffling their priorities.
What they think is important and like, you know, they're not standing for working a job that they're not happy anymore, which is kind of good for us because our employees are happy. So definitely check out our career page, you know, shameless plug. But I do think that this is going to be an important topic. So can I let you get started with like thinking about resumes, you know, what should a resume look like and all of those things?
Yeah. Your resume really is your chance to show employers, you know, why you're different. And so a big thing that I think candidates will make is when they're writing out their, you know, description, they oftentimes will just put bullet points of their job duties. And I would really steer you away from that.
The recruiters that are reading your resume, they already know what you do, right? They're searching for your role. And so what you really want to do with your resume is bullet point out all the things that make you different, you know, think from the mindset of why should I hire you out of the other 50 applicants that I'm going to look at. And the way that you do that is through numbers and metrics and data.
So anyway, that you can pull and show me this is why I do the job better than 50 other people that, you know, me as recruiters are going to look at every day. And so really want to scare you away from just listing out. Here's what I do and really point you toward, you know, the metrics and the numbers and the data and again, anything that you can do to stand out. And something that I hear all the time to is like, Oh, don't make your resume longer than one page.
I really don't think any recruiters really care about this. You know, when I'm screening your resume, I'm not trying to find reasons to, you know, push you out. I'm actually trying to find reasons to keep you like I need to hit my hair and go like we want you, right? And so, you know, I think you want it to be as concise as possible while also giving the most information.
Now, for those of you that have experienced, you know, maybe longer than 10 years ago, you know, I wouldn't say just get rid of it on your resume. But what I would recommend is that you bullet point those roles out at the end and just say, you know, previous experience and list those roles and the dates that you held them. But don't go in and put all the bullet points below of what you did and the metrics and everything because it, you know, over 10 years of experience is probably not super relevant, but I understand you still want you to showcase that you have that experience on there. So that's my recommendation there if it helps you to shorten it a little bit.
Yeah, I 100% agree. And I read somewhere the statistics of you have less than a minute when someone's looking at your resume to stand out. So that first, like the overview or objective, like that's where you need to put like, you know, the heavy hitting like, what have you really done and why, you know, why they should pick you kind of what you said, like you're trying to stand out. And I think a lot of times people take their job description and pull that into their resume.
And that's like the opposite thing. Like we're not looking for like, you know, every task that you ever did, that's not the point. I think, you know, the details really, really matter trying to stick out. So, you know, there's a way to do that.
I always sell people numbers. So there's, you know, specifically like I'm thinking about like, our talent visors, like to tell me about the numbers you're doing and all that stuff. So those are ways to like catch people's attention. So those are some really helpful tips.
Okay. The infamous cover letters. Hey, cover letters. Like if you're on LinkedIn, there's a whole debate on the talent, you know, talent people offs on.
No cover letter cover letter. And I think this is like a almost like a them versus us. Like it's a whole meme and like a team on like people that hate cover letters and people that love them. So Kim, what do you think cover letter?
No, I'm in the team of hate cover letters. And here's why I don't read them. And if I'm being honest, I don't think most people read them. And I think even the companies that require the cover letter, I bet a lot of money that if you ask those recruiters, if they read them, they probably also say no.
I think it's just a requirement that their company has and they can't get around it. And I just think, man, it's so much effort. It's a lot to read. And really, if you do the things that we've talked about and put those numbers in your resume and you answer application questions well, I kind of don't need any more context.
I don't need all the fluff. And I think that's why I'm not really against them. It just becomes in my experience. It becomes a place for someone really just to take up space and then you're writing things that really aren't helping or contributing to me figuring out like, can you do this job well, you know, do you have the experience that you need to even make it their interview process.
So yeah, I'm very much against. I know some places still do require them. You know, I think it's helpful if you're switching industries and you need to make it very clear why your experience parallels over to a new industry. You know, I think that an objective statement, again, if only if you're switching industries can be helpful because it really draws your attention to here's why I'm applying, even though I don't have the typical background.
But other than that, it's always a space. It's a waste of time. I mean, you talk about, yeah, recruiters only looking at resumes for 60 seconds. Like I'm not going to go dig into your cover letter after that, right?
And so, you know, it's just, it's just a time thing. Yeah. And I'm a thousand percent agree with you. Not reading your cover letter.
And I honestly, back when I was looking for a job months ago before I started here, a company required a cover letter. I knew instantly that's not a company for me because it's in 1999. Like, no, I'm not doing it. And I love the means like, if it says like cover letter, you should run away.
I truly believe that. So we don't require that here because we are, you know, in 2022. So yeah, it's wasted space and I've never seen it work. I have truly in my 10 years, I've never seen the cover letter get you the job.
Like it's their skills and how do you interview? So yeah, we're team no cover letter over here. So, you know, we're winning. What about the skills section?
What do you think about that? Skills section, I'm not necessarily for again. So I think it depends on, you know, the role you're applying for in your industry. But what I will say is I see it go wrong very often where people take a bunch of space up on their resume writing skills and it's soft skills.
It's things like team player and, you know, hard worker and organized and I'm thinking, well, you probably should better be all those things anyway. That's a word people learn. That's a word people learnable. Well, you better be.
Yeah. And I think too, like everybody's going to say that. If you ask somebody if they're hard worker, everybody's going to say yes. And so it's not helping me objectively as someone who's screening your resume go, yes, they have the skills for this role.
And so I think where it can be valuable is if you're listing hard skills or platforms that you know this job requires, maybe it was in the JD, it's not somewhere else in your bullet points in your resume. I think it's very valuable because I'm going, oh, yes, they have, you know, skills and sales for some of their use, you know, more kiddo and they can use HubSpot. And so there's things I'm looking for that helps me know. So then I think it's fantastic.
But I think I see a lot of skill sets where like it's almost soft skills and honestly I'm going to flush that out in the interviews anyways. And again, everybody says they have them. So I think it's a waste of space if you're using it for that. Yeah, I agree.
I think the skills section needs to be like truly skill sets. Like, you know, if you're talking about like systems that you've used and stuff like that, not that you're a team player, like, OK, these are expectations. So it's like you're putting things down that we would expect of you no matter what. So yeah, use that space.
Space is limited on your resume. Like use it wisely. That's my two cents. Like be very mindful of what you're putting because you do not have a lot of time to get someone's attention.
So use the space accordingly. It's really important real estate. So think about the real estate market right now. Like your resume, all that space, that's a real estate.
OK, like what are you putting there and how important is it? What about the objective statement? Or some people call it like a summary statement. What do you think about that?
Like what needs to go there? Yeah, again, this one can go either way. I think certainly again, if you're switching industries, you know, very helpful, but don't, you know, write a whole long story, right? You want to be very succinct and explain why, you know, your experience does translate over to what you're applying for.
I also think it could be valuable if you want to put some higher level, you know, career accomplishments. I've seen that as well because maybe, you know, it was five years back, but it's one of those metrics is one of those things that you want to draw my eye to and say, hey, I've done this and I've done it really well. I think, you know, as a summary, like summary of achievements or accomplishments, I've seen that and there's like four or five, just really like juicy bullet points, right? Of numbers and metrics, I'm going, OK, great.
And then I'm looking further. And so I think if you're going to use it that way, it's phenomenal. But again, don't be tempted to use as a cover letter and just fill in space and write the soft skills. And I think at that point you're just wasting your wasting real estate.
I will then. Absolutely. And I think for me, the objective statement, I tell people this is your time to shine. This is your three to four sentences on why you are so good.
So for example, I think I'm trying to think of what mine says, but it says something about like 10 years of experience and kind of like, you know, the fact that I've worked in like large companies and startups, so being like versatile. So that's just an example of like how you can give an overview. But it's truly like, don't be shy. Like that is your chance to say why you are so great and like, why they need you on the team?
Like answer that question. Why is just someone need you on their team? And that'll give you that point in the right direction. But yeah, if you're just using it as like, I've seen people that it's like a dissertation, like I don't need it.
I'm not reading this. OK, like, so don't use it for that. Like I said, three, four sentences, heavy hitting information and then move on to the next section. OK, so I think resume we got to cover it.
So next up is application questions. So, you know, what do you think about those? And obviously a lot of companies do these things differently, but in general, the application questions, what do you think? What's your advice there?
Yeah, and I think, you know, to your point, when you said you were interviewing, you know, five months ago, similar thing when I was interviewing, if they were prior to cover letter, I was like, no, it's going to work there. If they were giving me personality assessments. Mm. OK, another.
No. No. No. Don't even go there.
And so I look at application questions too. I mean, ideally they're asking you, you know, for the eight, it depends on a level, you know, of the role of good questions. You know, hopefully they're not fillers, but you can really read in a lot to a company and what they value based on their application questions. You're already thoughtful or they just trying to weed people out, you know?
And so I think number one though, from what I see is don't lie. And I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but I've screened a ton of application questions where, you know, we'll ask if someone has something yes or no or, you know, fill in the blank and they'll say they have it and then you start digging in their resume. And it's not there. And maybe you push them through an interview because you're like, maybe it's just not a resume.
And then you ask them point blank and they're like, oh, yeah, I don't have that. And it's just like, don't waste your time and then employers time. Like interviewing is hard enough. Like you only have so much emotional energy to invest.
Interview for the places that you have the skills that are required to have. So I think number one, don't lie. Number two, answer them fully. So I've seen a lot of answers to questions where, you know, it's a two part and somebody will just give, you know, just the bullandaise one more answer that they can.
And again, to me, like this is your chance to show me why you're different and why I should want to talk to you. And if you can't bother to put more than one word to your question to my question, like, this is really like, you don't want to talk about talk to you, you know? So again, I get it's like a one way street. It's annoying, like, you know, doing application questions for interviews is not fun.
But don't let it be the reason that you get, you know, weeded out. So I think that's important. I would say also don't make extra work for the recruiters. You know, sometimes I see answers to questions like last something and people put available a plan request, you know, I just requested it.
Like, that's definitely an official request. Like, that's the reason I asked you the question. So it just, again, to me, that just comes off like kind of combative. I'm like, I don't know if I want to talk to you.
And then certainly check spelling and grammar. Okay, I'm not here to be like a spelling and grammar Nazi. If you've got one mistake, like it's fine, I get it. But when your application is riddled with spelling and grammar errors, I'm getting a little concerned about your attention to detail, which is not something that you want to recruit or be concerned about.
So they're really, really simple suggestions, but mistakes that I see quite often. Yeah. So my suggestion there is Gramerly. Use a software that can help you.
And then one of the things that I used to do when I was interviewing is there's a lot of the questions that are kind of standard. And so I went through and made a document where I could just copy and paste. So BPRO active about that. Now mind you, it's not going to get all the questions, but like the standard questions of like why you would want to work here or give me insight about your background.
I kind of had a document that like, I had, you know, I had that build in. And I could literally just copy and paste it. So I highly suggest doing that. But yeah, if you're not willing to answer the question, so this is happening right now, I'm hiring for a role.
And I have one question that I'm asking people and there have been people that, you know, just choose not to answer it or like answer it very blandly. You're out. Okay. I'm literally going through like over a hundred resumes.
And if you cannot, you know, answer one question and literally it's one question. I don't want to talk to you. So, you know, take that seriously. That's your way in really is, you know, give me like why, like answer the question.
That's my two cents answer the question. And I know it's annoying, but be proactive and just make a document. And then, you know, the one off questions, you know, some companies ask kind of like cultural questions, then you can answer that one specific to the company. But besides that, you can have a prep document.
Like there's no reason you can't have that. So that's my suggestion there. Next up is interviews. Everybody loves interviews, which is so funny because everybody needs you.
But I love them. Okay. It's my time to shine. I'm ready to show up.
Like I don't even get nervous. I'm like, it's a show, but I know you're not like me. So give us an advice on interviews. Yeah.
I think preparation here and what I say, I think I know preparation here is key, right? And what I mean by preparation is very specific. So I don't know the study. I just know that I read it.
And it's it showed that when you are in a stressful situation, you lose almost all of your ability to recall any of your short term memory. What could be more stressful than interviewing for a job, especially when you need a job, right? Which some people are in that situation, right? So stressful.
And so you don't want to shoot yourself on a flip by not preparing. And so what I recommend and what I've honestly done for all of the interviews that I've done, I mean, I've been here for four months. It seems like four years, just like, you know, but I did it for this role is literally write down your answers to questions and Google is your best friend. We have the internet.
You can literally Google typical interview questions for whatever job you're interviewing for and you will get a mass of questions. And my suggestion to you is literally to write them down and then write out your answer. And I know this seems like a lot of work and it is, but I'm telling you, it will make you feel so much more confident, so much more relaxed when you interview and you have to take it a step further. You can't just write them down and review them.
You literally need to practice them out loud, like find a roommate, a spouse, a best friend, whatever, because you would be so surprised how like articulate and confident you can feel like reading your answers and then you role play it with somebody and you sound not great. Even though I've done it, I'm like, oh, I haven't started rolling back and I'm like, vacuum out a jumbled mess. I do not want to be that way to interview. And so yes, it takes a lot of work, but you'll find some more to what you said is a lot of companies ask the similar questions, right?
And so if you're prepared with those top 10 to 15 that you're most likely going to hear and you already have your answer written out, oh my gosh, and you've practiced it. It just takes so much stress off. It makes it a lot easier. It makes it more fun.
Like, you know, you experience interviews where you're like, yeah, it's my time to shine. Like, I'm going to show you and you feel that way because you already know what you're going to say. You're not worried about it. And so it's a game changer.
I didn't always do it for interviews. And when I found that study, when I was preparing, I'm telling you, it just makes life so much easier when you're interviewing. Yeah. One of my pro tips, especially because a lot of people are not interviewing face to face anymore, it's like remote.
So one of the things that I did when I was interviewing is I had a sticky note. Like I literally put a sticky note on my computer. And it was like the things that I made sure that I wanted to say. So whatever that high level, I definitely wanted to say these five things about myself or about my experience.
I put it there so that way I wasn't looking away from the camera. Like the sticky note was on the computer screen. So, you know, it was like top of mind. So that's my pro tip.
Like they can't see you if you have sticky notes all over your screen. Yeah. It doesn't matter. So do that.
So that I highly recommend prepping and then day of sticky note of things that you definitely want to say because I think a lot of times we think like, oh, why did I tell them this? Like I did this great thing. Make sure you have those things and make work them in there some type of way. Like there's going to be some kind of way, you know, you can say it or even at the end when they say is there anything else we should know about you work those things in but have at least top three top five things that you want to say and put it on sticky note.
They can't see that. Yeah. I literally posted pages like taped to the wall behind my screen. Like no joke because I say like they needed more room than a sticky note.
And I, you know, I kind of look around and think while I'm talking and I'm like, oh, no, never know. And literally you can read and like, who knows? Especially if you're doing a phone interview. Oh my gosh.
You better have a notebook and I'm slipping through and I'm just like reading sometimes verbatim my answers because it just you can't, you know, use it to your advantage. Like, you know, it's just so much easier. Like why not? You know, I think a lot of people think because it's remote, they have to do the same things they would do in person.
No, use what's going on to your advantage. Like why not? Next up is, you know, at the end they always ask you if you have questions. I'm going to tell you one of my professional pet peeves is if people don't have questions.
I'm like, well, did you do some research or like, you don't have anything? And a lot of people I think just get hung up and they don't know what to ask. So what are your thoughts on questions people should be asking? Yeah, I think first and foremost, you better have questions.
And listen, I get it. Like I'm thorough and I've even heard people be like, we've just been so thorough. You're like, questions and to me, but still, it's still showing you some red flags. I'm like, okay, well, then you haven't thought further, right?
And I get a lot of people maybe aren't as thorough. And so you will have questions. But my recommendation is you should write out again, right at least 10 questions for every interview that you're doing. And they should get progressively more in depth, right?
And so I do a lot of initial calls and so people know that they're meeting with a recruiter. Now I do know a lot about the role. So don't let that throw you off either. But you can ask me more than just what's the day to day look like.
You can think about things like what's the culture like and what does success look like here and how would I be measured and what's the long-term vision? And one of my favorites, and it probably is the best for first interview, but further on, I think I asked this of you, was if you, what's something you know now in your tenure that you wish you knew when you started? Yeah. I love that question.
And it always impresses a lot of interviewers. Like, are you going to a lot of like, oh, wow, it's a really good question. They have to sit and think about it because it's really telling of maybe things that caught up on them. And that was really bad things.
But like, oh, I wish I knew how much time it would take to do this or how much more skills that I needed here, whatever it is. And I think it really shows that you have thought through what you're looking for and why you want to be there. But again, in terms of what questions to ask, literally Google is your best friend. But I also think it ties into what are you looking for?
And I did a post about this on LinkedIn about writing out your non-negotiable. I call them non-negotiable. So what are you looking for? In a culture, in your schedule flexibility, how do you like to be managed?
What are you looking for? Growth rise in your career and professionally. And so I think when you have that list of your non-negotiables, what you're looking for, you can really craft some questions around what can I ask that will tell me if it's going to fit into what I want. And so I think it's tempting when you're interviewing, especially when you need a job, if you don't have one, to really just go, I'm just going to whatever I can find that fits, I'll take.
But I think when you really take the time to get granular about what it is you really want, it's going to make interviewing a lot easier for you because you just know when you'll have those questions because you're going to want to know the answers to them. So do your research, but there's so many things out there. Like it's really not that challenging. Yeah, one of the questions that I always ask, and it's really funny because sometimes it throws people off a little bit, but it's a good one, and I feel like it's one of those things to like close the interview.
So let this be your final question. And I always ask, you know, is there a reason that I wouldn't be moved forward? Do you have any other questions? And the reason I do this is it opens up a discussion on if they have any reservations about anything I've said or anything on my resume, it gives me a chance to give them more information.
So they don't leave the interview saying like, oh, I didn't understand this art, and you know, this was on her resume, I can tell you why or give you more context. And it gives you kind of, you know, a reason to like close, like close the interview with like, this is why. Now, you know, this is why I say I love interviews because I'm always like, anything else, and they're like, no, anyone in the interview? So it also gives you context if they have reservations, you know what they are, and then that can maybe help you in another interview because then you can address like, oh, maybe this will be one of your reservations and I just want to be proactive about it.
So it also gives you information that if it doesn't work out in that interview that you can use for another interview. So I highly recommend asking that. And it also throws people off a little bit because they're like, what? Yeah, it's a soft close, but it's powerful.
And I think especially if the interviewer hasn't made it clear that you're going to move through the next steps, like that's when you do it, you know, you're like, hey, I'm really excited about this role. Like I said, is there any other questions I can answer or anything that would make you concerned about my candidacy? And it really, your interview will be like, oh, wow. And I have people do that to me and I'm like, well, you know what, like maybe not a red flag, but I suggest before I move you the next step that you really brush up on XYZ because here's, you know, I know the next interviewer and they're going to date on this and here's where you might fail based on what we've talked about, you know, and I think, yeah, it gives you a lot of context and it does throw people off, but it's really fun.
The whole one, but I'm a pretty bold person, so it's not surprising. Next up is stress. Obviously right now, you know, mental health, wellness, stress management, you know, psychological safety, these are all things that are really, really big and rightfully so. And interviewing and trying to find a job, especially if you need a job and you're unemployed, you know, actively looking versus like passively is very, very stressful.
What advice do you have for candidates that are in that situation? Yes. Again, having been someone who was looking for a job, you know, not too long ago, I think it's very tempting to, you know, be online every day looking like what new has popped up, like let me apply to like these hundred roles and I'm not gonna lie to you. I definitely apply to a ton of roles, but like I'm just kind of crazy like that.
But I really wouldn't recommend that for most people. Like just like you said, you love it. Or you're like most people are not like me where they can, it just really, that's a lot of stress. So I really would, again, you know, find out really what you're looking for.
I mean, take the time to write out your not to go to whatever you want to call them, you know, what you really want in a career and then make a plan and stick to it. So, you know, maybe you want to apply to 25 jobs a week, you know, maybe it's all 25 on Sunday, or maybe it's, you know, five on Monday, 10 on Wednesday, the rest on Friday, like break it up. But I wouldn't recommend like always being like online looking for roles or like getting those notifications because it just is a, it's a constant reminder, especially if you don't have a job that you need one and that you're looking and it just, it invokes a lot of stress, you know, top, there's a top three things are most stressful in your life and one's moving and, you know, one's looking for a job. And so, yeah, it can just, I think it's as stressful as you can, you make it, right?
And so I think there's ways that might agate that and I think it's having the plan and sticking to it and not sensor you overloading yourself can be really helpful because it is, it's stressful. It's stressful, especially, especially when you have to upload a resume and then they make you pipe out your resume again. Run, run from yourself. That's not the company, don't do it.
That is, yeah, I love all of those memes. Yeah, I love that advice and my two cents would be give yourself some grace. And I know that that's hard when you're really, really looking and you feel, you know, a little bit overwhelmed or like a clock is ticking, you know, if you have bills to pay and stuff like that. So I recognize that, but I would say give yourself grace.
And then one of the things that I read this on a book somewhere, you know, and I, it really resonated with me that your work is not your worth. Yeah. Just remember that because I think a lot of times we equate our worth with our jobs or if you don't have a job that you know your worth goes down and that is absolutely not true. Your work is not your worth.
So no matter what's going on, if you're unemployed or you're in a position where a job that you is not best for you and you want to leave and it feels like psychologically draining, know that, you know, even outside of work, like get outside, go do something like go for a walk. It can be all consuming. Do not let it consume you. You are worth more than your job, whatever that is.
So just remember that because I know that can be hard and it really can affect your mental health. So don't do whatever you need to do to make sure that you're well. So yes, yeah, that's a good one. So anything else or any other advice you want to give people before we close it out?
We want to talk about imposter syndrome. Let's do it. That's something that we've been talking a lot about a lot internally. Yeah.
And I think mainly imposter syndrome and implying to jobs is I see a lot of or I've seen a lot of advice around like, oh, if you're not qualified for a job, you should still apply. And I would say, yes. But also, but and also, you know, be mindful of how not qualified are you, right? And so I think it's like two separate things.
I think the imposter syndrome is, you know, you actually are qualified, but maybe you just for some reason had that self doubt. Whereas, you know, people I think have taken the advice of apply to a job anyway, like maybe a little too far. And so I think when you're looking at a job, you know, you need to make sure that you're at least 75% you know, filling filling those roles. And so for example, when I was looking for, you know, before I found this role, I was applying for town acquisition roles that maybe wanted like five to six years of recruiting.
And I was like, oh, I met like four. And so, but I hit every other bullet. I was like, I done this. I done that.
Like I can do that. So if I look past years of experience, because sometimes people will, if you can show that you have the skills, like I was still applying, right? But I wouldn't recommend if a role says you need five years of experience that you apply with none or especially because like required, they've clearly written that for a reason and they're not unfortunately not open to people that don't have it. And so I think just, I've seen a lot of people just kind of spring, you know, their job applications everywhere.
And then they get frustrated and they're online like, I've applied to hundreds of roles and no one talks to me. And I've got to think, you know, I've been there, she was a candidate, but then also from a recruiter standpoint, I'm thinking, well, I want to know what kind of jobs you're applying for and where you even qualified, you know. And so I think we got to be careful when we take some of this advice is like, think about why was it written and who was intended for in what situation. Again, not saying that you shouldn't, you know, shoot your shot, but I think there's a way to be really mindful about it.
And you know, certainly, you know, some companies are great. You can reach out to a person and say, Hey, I don't have this. Should I even apply like, why is it on there? And I've got people do that to me.
And I'm like, you know, it's a hard requirement. And here's why, like, let's talk about your background though and maybe see if you, you know, you'd be a good fit to at least interview, but you know, not everybody will reply to you. And that's the reality. But if you really want to job, I mean, try, but I would say be careful about just applying to things, even though you're not qualified, you want to be mine.
Yeah. I think there's a big difference between like imposter syndrome, feeling like you can't do something but you have the qualifications versus not having the qualifications and being bold enough to be like, but I could still do it. Those are two very different things. So I think just being mindful of that, because if you do have the qualifications and even not 100%, like if you have 75% of the qualifications, like still apply, if you have less than 50% of the qualifications, I'd say keep it moving.
That's my two cents there. But you know what I mean? Like there's a way to do it. But I think imposter syndrome keeps coming up.
And I just want to know, like a lot of times when we think imposter syndrome, where you think we're thinking about like women in the workplace, that's not true. And posture syndrome, everyone feels imposter syndrome. Even when you start a new job, a lot of people feel that, you know, because they feel overwhelmed. So just something to be mindful of.
But I think being prepared kind of what we've talked about like your resume, being prepared to interview, having your questions ready, you know, those are things that will help you not feel that way. And then taking care of, you know, stress management and mental health. So that'll help you on the road to, you know, do what you need to do. So and the final thing I'll say is that we are always hiring at Refine Labs.
So definitely go check out our careers page. We do not make you do a cover letter. I'm just saying, I'll say that again. And we also do not make you upload your resume and then write it all out.
So we are way better and far along than that. So I'll say that. But I don't think I want to know is that we can hire both really active on LinkedIn. So if you want to reach out to us or, you know, just have a chat, we are always open to that.
So reach out to us on LinkedIn. And then we also have, we publish our culture playbook for everybody to see online. So if you are thinking about applying to Refine Labs and you want to know about our culture, feel free to go on our careers page or even on my page. I have it uploaded there too.
I believe Kim knows too. So yeah. So Kim, thank you for giving us all this help. We really appreciate it.
Yes. Thanks for chatting with me. And just like you said, if you guys have any other questions or want to know more, we're active on LinkedIn so we can reach out and help as much as possible. Perfect.
Everybody have a good one. Bye. Bye.