E22: James Aiken on Spending Less Time on Job Boards, Building a Candidate Packet, and Addressing the No Relevant Experience Conundrum

Welcome into The Sandbox, a podcast for the 20-somethings who want to live the best version of their life and are seeking the skills, strategy, and mindset to do just that.

Today’s guest is James Aiken, Founder and President of Legacy Search – an independent recruiting agency in South Carolina.

As all of you know, over the last 8 months, COVID has wreaked havoc on many industries causing massive layoffs. I’ve had friends that have worked for airlines, restaurants, hotels, oil and gas, entertainment all lose their job.

I’ve also heard from those that are gearing up to make a change. One gift of COVID has been that it has given us plenty of time to think, figure out what is important to us, and chart out our future.

That’s why I thought it was important to bring James into The Sandbox to help set you up for success in your next job search.

By listening to this episode, you are going to gain tons of job search prep advice including building a candidate packet to help you stand out from the crowd, how to maximize output while minimizing time on job boards, and overcoming the hurdle of having no relevant experience.

This is the perfect episode for those searching for a new career opportunity.

Show Notes:

[5:01] Good reasons to be looking for a new job

[12:38] Building a candidate packet to stand out

[24:14] How to spend less time yet get more responses from job boards

[29:29] Developing a networking plan by building two top 10 lists

[36:03] Using persistence to meet your dream mentor

[40:19] Optimizing your LinkedIn for a job search

[45:40] The slingshot theory: Overcoming no relevant experience

Favorite Quotes:

[9:21] “It’s legal human trafficking.”

[18:47] “The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is a little extra.”