Laura Luther – A Recruiter’s Advice for Finding Your Next Job

January 27, 2025

Laura Luther is a Talent Acquisition Strategist working for the human resources department of the Lane County Government. She recruits candidates, manages her organization’s applicant tracking system, and facilitates the onboarding of new hires. Here is her advice for finding a job.

Stay Positive and Use Resources During Job Search

• First off, finding a job is a job. It can be hard. Be patient and practice good self-care. Be kind to yourself! Beyond that, there are few things that I recommend when you’re starting out: 
• Start with self-reflection. Think about what you enjoy doing and how that could translate into a career.
• Leverage and grow your network. You might already have a network of friends and family or even a professional network through something like LinkedIn. Networks are great opportunities to follow people who are working in fields that you want to learn about. 
• Tailor your resume and cover letter. I've been a recruiter for over 20 years now and quite often, folks will apply for a job but list a different employer on the cover letter. That doesn’t get them the job.
• Stay organized and set goals. I know job searching can feel overwhelming, so make a plan for yourself. Make a schedule for how often to apply for jobs and then when to follow up with positions that you’ve already applied for.
• Utilize career resources. In Oregon we have so many great resources. We have the Employment Department, community colleges, and nonprofits in town that work with folks around careers. 

Even Without Much Experience, Stand Out with Organized Resumes and by Volunteering

Even if you don’t have a lot of experience, make sure you highlight transferable skills. Let's say you're applying for a receptionist position at a medical office, and you don’t have receptionist experience, but you have been a customer service person. Share what you've done and how it relates to the skills they’re looking for.

I would also focus on internships and volunteering. At Lane County, we look at internships and volunteer experience the same as paid work experience. A benefit of internships and volunteering is that people invest in you to become proficient at their systems, and the more systems you know the more skills you can offer an employer. 

It’s also important to have a well laid out resume. We hire 800 people and get 7,000 applications a year. We read a lot of applications. Clearly show what you're good at, your education, and your experience. 

Practice Makes Perfect with Job Interviews

Interviews shouldn't be a surprise. Sometimes interviewers will give you questions ahead of time, but even if they don’t, there are about four buckets they’re looking for: How are you at teamwork? How do you deal with conflict? How do you manage your time? How are you at communication? 

Most agencies get at those buckets through behavioral based questions which take the form of “tell me about a time when…” Google the top 25 most asked behavioral based questions and practice them before the interview. I’d ask somebody that I trust to give me a mock interview and give feedback. That can be very, very valuable.

If it's an in-person interview, the interview really starts when you show up. Don’t throw garbage, don’t be rude to people as you’re walking in. I'm a big fan of passion and enthusiasm, so if you can show me why you really want to work here, then I think we'll have a great conversation.

Seize the Opportunity When Interviewers Ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Employers ask that question to genuinely to see if you have any questions about the job or the organization. It's not the time to ask about pay, about benefits, about vacation. 

It’s also an opportunity for you to answer the question you prepared, but they didn’t ask.  The question I love to ask in interviews is, “what is the biggest challenge you're hoping this person can solve for you?” I'm hoping I'll be able to say, “hey, I've already done that for somebody else and here's how I did it!” It's an opportunity for you to really show yourself off on one skill.