7 Strategies to Start Your Job Search, with Mher Mardoyan
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Starting a job search without a strategy is like wandering in the dark. According to Find Your Dream Job guest Mher Mardoyan, most job seekers make the mistake of immediately updating their resume and applying online without a clear focus. This “spray and pray” approach leads to zero responses because it lacks intention. Mher’s seven-step framework transforms job searching from day one: identify your core values, maintain a positive mindset throughout the marathon-like process, and craft compelling stories that make you memorable. Successful job searching requires treating it like a project with weekly goals and dedicated time blocks. Rather than applying to 50 jobs with generic resumes, focus on fewer opportunities where your skills truly align. The key differentiator? Networking and relationship building – many positions are filled through referrals, not online applications.
About Our Guest:
Mher Mardoyan is a career coach who helps early to mid-level professionals find jobs faster.
He’s also the host of the Career Advice Podcast, Crack the Hiring Code, Get Hired.
Resources in This Episode:
- Visit his YouTube channel
- Connect with Mher on LinkedIn.
Transcript
Find Your Dream Job, Episode 514:
7 Strategies to Start Your Job Search, with Mher Mardoyan
Airdate: August 13, 2025
Mac Prichard:
This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.
I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.
Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.
A job search can feel overwhelming, especially in the beginning. You know you want to use your time well, but you may be unsure about what works and what doesn’t.
Mher Mardoyan is here to talk about seven strategies to start your job search. He’s a career coach who helps early to mid-level professionals find jobs faster.
Mher also hosts the Career Advice Podcast, Crack the Hiring Code, Get Hired. He joins us from the city of St. John’s in Canada.
Mher, many people start their job search by updating their resume and applying online. Why do candidates do this?
Mher Mardoyan:
Candidates do this because they feel that that’s the only way they’ve been told or they’ve been told to do that: when you are looking for a job, you need to update your resume and you need to apply.
But I think that applying to too many jobs without focus is something I will tell my clients, that it’s not a numbers game. You need to be very strategic when you’re applying to a job.
I heard sometimes people say, “I applied to 50 jobs, but I’m not hearing anything back.” Something is wrong with your resume because it is not passing the applicant tracking system.
So, spraying out your application without a strategy will lead to zero response. So instead, apply to fewer jobs but with more intention. Focus on roles where your skills align because tailored resumes are the best way to move forward to get a response.
And the other thing I would say is that job seekers are forgetting is the power of networking. And I tell clients you need to network even if you have a job, which we’re also going to talk about later on, because many jobs are filled through referrals and personal connections. I got my first job here in Canada through a referral. It took me nine months of networking.
Mac Prichard:
Okay. Well, let’s dig into your seven strategies in a moment. And what I’m hearing is you’ve got to be focused, you’ve got to be strategic, and you’ve got to network. And I know we’re going to touch on all of those areas as we walk through your seven strategies.
Before we get there, Mher, what stops people from doing these things? Because I talked to a lot of candidates, too, and they keep going back to the computer. What stops people from doing the strategies that you’re about to share with us?
Mher Mardoyan:
Because those strategies take time. Because people want results today. I want a job today. I cannot network for three, six months, hoping that a job will be available, and I will ask for a referral from Mac or from me, who you met today. I get a lot of requests and automatically they respond, “This is my resume, can you help me?” I don’t know you, so I cannot help you.
Because job searching takes time, reflection, and strategy. Rushing it can lead to burnout, and it can lead to a wrong role.
Mac Prichard:
Okay, so that’s the path people need to take. What do you say to a listener who is experiencing that and saying exactly what you said a moment ago, that, “I need a job today, I don’t have three to six months”? What can they do in that situation?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say treat your job search like a project. Set weekly goals, block times to apply and network. And the other thing I would say is you need to have a good mindset and positive mindset and a lot of activities to do so that you can progress.
Mac Prichard:
Okay. Well, let’s talk about your seven strategies. And what I’d like to do, Mher, is walk through the first three in our first segment and then the remaining four.
So let’s talk about your first strategy that you need to do at the start of your search. And that, you say, is to identify your values.
Why is this important when you look for a job? Why do you need to be clear about your values?
Mher Mardoyan:
It’s important to know who you are before applying to any jobs because your values should be aligned with the companies that you are applying to. You can start by asking questions. What do you feel most proud of? What energizes you in a work setting?
And you can also ask your friends to identify some of your values. And you can start from there and build on why you want to work in a company before applying.
Mac Prichard:
How’s that going to help you in your job search once you get this feedback from friends and you do this work and you know what your values are?
Mher Mardoyan:
Because when you write down your top values, you are looking for roles in companies that share similar values and you feel alive in those roles that you’re going to apply.
Mac Prichard:
Your second strategy, and you touched on this a moment ago, is to keep a positive attitude when you look for work, especially at the start. How does your attitude affect your job search, Mher?
Mher Mardoyan:
Because if you don’t have the right mindset, it’s easy to burn out or lose confidence. It’s important to know that a job search is often a marathon and not a sprint.
Mac Prichard:
So how do you keep a positive attitude? Because we’ve all looked for work, and we’ve all heard no a lot, and we experience disappointment, especially when we think we’re about to get an offer and we don’t. How do you recommend people stay positive?
Mher Mardoyan:
I tell my clients and all the people I’m helping that you need to have a structure. You need to have a routine. Write it down on a piece of paper, in your Google calendar, or on your phone. Set daily goals. Take regular breaks. You don’t have to be in front of the computer 24-7. You can go out. It’s okay to take a day off.
And another thing is to stay physically active and engage in hobbies and volunteerism because it’s important to have that positive mindset and surround yourself with people who can uplift you. Also, consider journaling your progress to stay grounded and maintain optimism.
Mac Prichard:
The third of your seven strategies that you encourage candidates to adopt at the start of a job search is to tell your story. Why does storytelling matter when you look for work, Mher?
Mher Mardoyan:
Because when you meet people, Mac, you will not remember sometimes their names or how they look like, but you will remember their stories. Because at the end of the day, your story is your brand, and you can bring your experiences to life and you can make it memorable and show that you have grown from your mistakes or you’ve grown over a period of time.
Mac Prichard:
So we’ve all had full, rich lives. How do you recommend crafting and telling your professional story when you’re getting ready to share that with hiring managers and people you meet in informational interviews?
Mher Mardoyan:
You can do that by mapping out your career journey, including pivotal moments, lessons learned, and achievements, and using the STAR method – situation, task, action, result – to structure examples during interviews and always tie them back to what the employer is looking for.
Mac Prichard:
And how does that help you? You mentioned that stories stick. What are the other benefits of telling your career story when you’re doing a job search?
Mher Mardoyan:
It helps you in terms of being memorable, and it helps you distinguish yourself from others who are applying to similar jobs. Your stories, your experiences, and your achievements when you’re telling your story will make you unique and distinguish you from others.
Mac Prichard:
And in your experience, what else can people do to make their professional story compelling? What have you seen people do that makes them really stand out and make those stories sticky?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say make it personal and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable in your answers, and don’t be so structured because we always practice our answers, because it’s important to know that, but it’s also okay to be vulnerable when you’re answering them. That’s how you’re being authentic in your answers.
Mac Prichard:
What’s off limits? What are examples of oversharing that you might avoid?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say don’t badmouth your previous bosses or avoid, especially nowadays, any political or religious topics because you don’t know who the other person is, how can they perceive it.
Mac Prichard:
Terrific. We’re going to take a break. Stay with us. When we return, we’ll dig into the four remaining job search strategies that our guest today recommends you adopt at the start of your job search.
We’re back in the Mac’s List studio.
I’m talking with Mher Mardoyan. He’s a career coach who helps early to mid-level professionals find jobs faster.
Mher also hosts the Career Advice podcast, Cracking the Hiring Code, Get Hired. He joins us from the city of St. John’s in Canada.
Mher, before our break, we were talking about your seven strategies to start your job search, and we walked through the first three on your list.
I want to go through the next four, and number four of your seven is to optimize your LinkedIn page. Why is this important?
Mher Mardoyan:
It’s very important because, as a job seeker, you research companies; companies will also research you. When I’m helping clients, I always tell them, Okay, let’s check your LinkedIn profile.
If it’s not optimized, if there’s no good picture or a banner or your about section or achievements or recommendations or skillsets, you’re like a ghost because LinkedIn is your digital resume. It’s your… digital presence online.
And I always tell them, before applying to any job, let’s fix your LinkedIn account first before we move forward in applying or even doing anything with your job.
Mac Prichard:
You just rattled off six or seven steps everybody should take to optimize their LinkedIn page.
Is there one thing you see people leave out that just drives you crazy as a career coach that you want to draw attention to?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say your banner and your about section.
Mac Prichard:
And say more about that. What do you have in mind? What makes you think that’s a lost opportunity?
Mher Mardoyan:
Your banner is your billboard, and think of LinkedIn as your website. Do you want your website to have empty spaces? No, you want every possible area to be filled. So make sure that your banner has a quotation or something related to your job.
Definitely have an updated picture. It’s very important. And your about section is an opportunity to tell about your accomplishments and who you are.
Mac Prichard:
And when you’re building out that about page, how do you pick accomplishments, especially if you’re mid or senior level in your career?
Mher Mardoyan:
Again, the accomplishments should be related to your job experiences and you can highlight maybe the top three accomplishments and you can include that so that you have consistency in your resume and even in your experience section on LinkedIn.
Mac Prichard:
The fifth of your seven job search strategies that you recommend everyone adopt right at the start is to create a strong personal brand. And you talked about this in the first segment a little bit, Mher. Say more about why a personal brand matters when you’re doing a job search.
Mher Mardoyan:
Because nowadays people will do work with people they trust, and your personal brand is your reputation. And we know that a strong personal brand builds trust and makes you stand out in the crowded market that we are seeing these days.
And you can start this again; it’s related to the first point: once you know your values and what makes you different, you can start talking about those points in your personal brand and make yourself distinguished from others.
Mac Prichard:
How do you do that, Mher, especially in a way that’s going to make you stand out to hiring managers? How do you create that personal brand and continue to add to it?
Mher Mardoyan:
You can start doing it by finding your niche. Are you an innovative person? Are you a problem solver? Are you a collaborative leader? What makes you unique? And then you can start talking about your points on LinkedIn and your messaging should be very much related to what makes you you.
Mac Prichard:
And in practical terms, what does that look like? Do you encourage listeners to write articles or make comments? What can they do to make it a regular habit in a way that’s going to strengthen their personal brand?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say that’s very much related to point six, which is creating valuable content. And I would depend on what you want. Some people are more visual, they can use visuals. Some people are more into creating videos, they can do that. Some people are more into blogging, they can do that.
But it’s important to be consistently on LinkedIn and sharing and commenting on others so that your thought leadership will be shown.
Mac Prichard:
How much time do you invest – do you recommend people spend on their personal branding? Are we talking about an hour a week, a full day? What have you seen be effective?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say definitely one an hour per day at the beginning, once you know who you are and how are you presenting your values and commenting on others, because I am, I’m on LinkedIn every day, and I learn new things and I share new things.
Mac Prichard:
And I want to turn to your sixth strategy, creating content. Before we do that, what do you say to a listener who worries, well, if I’m spending this much time talking about myself, won’t that come across as bragging?
Mher Mardoyan:
Now it all depends on how you are presenting. Are you presenting as a solution to a problem? Are you entertaining your audience, or are you just the how-to person? It all depends. And everyone started zero from somewhere in their content.
It will take time sometimes to make a plan. I always tell people on Monday and Wednesday, comment and share thoughts. And on Friday, create your content.
Mac Prichard:
So three days a week, and we’ve moved into your sixth strategy, which is creating content and publishing it right from the start of your search. And you’ve shared some ideas about how often to do that and what you might do.
What do you say to a listener who says, “Well, how is this going to help me get a job? Just commenting on other people’s LinkedIn posts.”
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say it will increase your visibility and draw the right kind of attention. I have heard stories from people that they’ve been liking this company and they’re sharing their company’s content on LinkedIn, commenting and sharing their thoughts that it got the attention of a recruiter that they reach out to this person and offer them a job because they felt that their values were very much aligned with the company’s values.
Mac Prichard:
LinkedIn is a vast place. Whether you’re commenting on LinkedIn or doing your content creation elsewhere on the internet, how do you do this in a way that is strategic, that’s going to support your job search and help you get the job you want?
Mher Mardoyan:
I would say start small. Comment on articles or things that are very much what aligns with you and you’re passionate about. Maybe summarize an article and post the link. But I would say the key is consistency and being authentic.
Mac Prichard:
Your seventh strategy that you recommend people follow from the start of their search is to build relationships.
Why are relationships, and I know you’re going to talk about networking, Mher, because you brought it up in the first segment. Why are they so important when you’re looking for work?
Mher Mardoyan:
Because people will help people that they trust and they have built a relationship with. I always give the example of when you go to a bank, you open an account, you invest in the account, you don’t withdraw from day one. That’s what networking is.
You need to build a relationship and you can build that relationship by again, commenting or sharing articles with that person so that you have built a kind of rapport and not just ask something in return. It’s a two-way communication.
Mac Prichard:
What kind of in-person networking do you recommend?
Mher Mardoyan:
It all depends where you live and what kind of relationship you want. I believe that during COVID time, a lot of relationships were done online, and still that’s happening. But a lot of times, in-person events are coming back.
I would suggest going to those events having the mindset that you need to build three new contacts and you’re going to ask about them, not about you, in those first initial conversations and then follow up with them on LinkedIn.
Mac Prichard:
Why is it useful to ask about other people rather than talking about what you want and the job you’re chasing?
Mher Mardoyan:
Because people like to talk about themselves and they want to show their achievements and what they can bring. So you need to be a good listener at the beginning of relationships, as I said, it takes time. After you’ve built that rapport, you can ask for something in return.
Mac Prichard:
Terrific. Well, I enjoyed our conversation so much. Now tell us, Mher, what’s next for you?
Mher Mardoyan:
Next for me is to continue interviewing experts on my YouTube channel that I encourage everyone to follow and listen to those great speakers who are giving free advice in regards to those seven steps we talked about and more.
Mac Prichard:
It’s a terrific show. I encourage listeners to check it out. We’ll be sure to include a link to your YouTube channel in the show notes. And I know you also invite our audience to connect with you on LinkedIn.
When you do reach out to Mher, please mention that you heard him on Find Your Dream Job.
Now, Mher, given all the great advice you’ve shared today, what’s the one thing you want a listener to remember about your seven strategies to start your job search?
Mher Mardoyan:
I want them to remember a new word, and the new word is can, C-A-N and which stands for connection, action, and nurture. Because you need to build relationships even if you have a job now, because in today’s fast-growing market, we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Networking is not just about exchanging business ideas or being on LinkedIn; it’s about connections that can lead to collaboration and growth.
Mac Prichard:
Next week, our guest will be Levi Gaytan. He’s an HR leader, speaker, and community builder.
Levi is passionate about helping you thrive at work and in your career.
You need credentials and skills to apply for a position, but to stand out from your competitors, you also have to show what makes you unique.
Join us next Wednesday when Levi Gaten and I talk about how your story can transform your job search.
Until next time, thanks for letting us help you find your dream job.
This show is produced by Mac’s List.
Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media and creates our transcripts.
Our sound engineer and editor is Matt Fiorillo. And our music is by Freddy Trujillo.
This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.
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