Remember that a lot of Job Searching is not about you and there is so much of the process that you can't control. Postings can get pulled, decisions are made on criteria you don't know about, and some places post both internally and externally. Take nothing personally. You could be the most perfect person for a role and still not get it. This is not a reflection on your worth or value as a person or as a tester.

Add a skills summary at the top of your resume and use this as a space to customize your resume to make it apply to job postings you are going for. This saves you time and also makes it easier for people to screen you in - not out. As a bonus you can summarise and personalize this section and use it in your cover letter. This saves you time and energy while creating a cohesive application package.

Tell your story with numbers where possible - "5 years of experience automating regression tests" or "reduced manual test load by 40%" is easy for people to understand and does the work to really sell your skills. It also allows someone like a recruiter or HR person to quickly see how you fit what the team is asking for so they can decide who to advance to the interview stage. The easier you make this process the more likely you are to get moved onto the next step.

AI screening tools are here to stay. Regardless of how you feel about this fact, making friends with AI can help you stand out and beat those AI gate keepers at their own game. Run your resume, cover letter, and the job posting through an AI agent and ask it to make suggestions for how to make your application package stronger in case the company has an AI screener. This is more likely to get your resume and you in front of the humans that actually make the hiring decisions.

Templates can also be a huge help for a busy job seeker. Most of us apply to 1-2 types of jobs in a given job search. Create a basic application for each type of job you are applying for (ex. QE with Manual focus vs. QE with automation focus). Use these as a base and customize your application for each job by focusing on the key things the job application asks for that are unique. This means you aren't starting from scratch every time but you are also not sending out the same generic application over and over.

Careful AI usage can also save you time at the writing stage. Go through the posting you are applying for and list all of the skills they are asking for that you have. You can then feed this to an AI agent along with the above mentioned template and use this tool to better customize your application materials to the posting you are applying for. This means you still sound like you but also save time by using AI for some of the heavy lifting. This also avoids the risk of an AI agent hallucinating a resume that is not really you or making statements you can’t back up at the interview stage.

Time box your applications - Recognize that even the most perfect app might not get you the interview (see point 1) so decide how much time you think it's reasonable to use on a given application and then stick to that. Every application you send is an investment of your time. Make sure the return on that investment is worth the time related cost.

Make your resume outcomes focused - Show what you achieved in each role and not just what you did. This helps paint a picture of what you can get done and why you would be a great fit for a team with an open role. These outcomes can also become great talking points when you get that all important interview.

Strive for balance - Job searching is a lot of work. Regardless of if you are doing it while employed and looking to trade up or after a layoff it can become all consuming. Remember that none of us ARE what we do for work and the rest of our lives matter too. Set limits on your job search and take care of yourself in ways that you enjoy so that you can take on the next big challenge that comes your way.