Job hunting: Here’s how you can do it like a pro.
How to job-hunt like a boss
Job hunting is never a walk in the park!
Whether you are fresh out of college and looking for your first job or you're tired of the job that you are in and need a change, it's important to know how to keep ahead in the job-hunting game.
There are many things that can influence who get the interviews and who gets the job offers. Despite this, there are a few key components that most successful job seekers have.
Spend time on your resume
You know that resume writing is boring – but a good Curriculum Vitae is essential to finding the right job for you, and is often the first point of contact for a prospective employer. The average recruiter spends around three to four minutes reading your resume – and often they will have made up their mind within the first minute of reading.
Your resume can definitely make or break an application, so you should spend plenty of time on it. You should proofread your resume, as poor grammar and spelling will get a lot of applicants rejected as recruiters equate this with sloppiness or lack of attention to detail. If this is a problem for you, get a friend or loved one to proofread your resume for you.
You also shouldn't overdo it – many candidates are rejected due to inappropriate fonts or overuse of clichés - keep it simple and to the point.
Tailor the resume to the application
Many people believe that resumes operate on a ‘one size fits all' system. This should not be the case! If you have one resume that covers all applications, it's unlikely to be the right one for the majority of them.
Even different positions in the same industry will look for different skill sets and experiences. Your resume should include the relevant information that shows that you are qualified for the position you are interested in - and should omit certain information that is totally irrelevant to that position. If you have several resumes that are tailored for particular job roles or industries, you will likely have better success in your applications.
While this is a great way to go, creating multiple resumes increases the chances of making mistakes that could affect your job prospects, so be extra careful.
Get recommended
A very effective way of landing a position is kind of a no-brainer – getting an insider recommendation! According to statistics, almost a third of external hires at any organisation are from referrals, and at least 80% of jobs are not even posted online.
Scary numbers, right? In all likeliness, your ideal job isn't advertised online, and hiring decisions will be heavily skewed towards people recommended by someone already working at the organisation. Having a point of contact at an organisation means you don't need to wait for a job posting that might not come – just ask for a referral from them to the people who make hiring decisions.
Also, many companies offer benefits and rewards to people who offer referrals, so everybody wins if you get hired!
Communication is key
Before anyone sees your resume, people see the first point of contact between you and the prospective employer or recruiter.
Having good email and telephone skills will definitely help in the job hunting process, and they matter a lot. If your application requires email, then there are a few things that can definitely help. You should ensure your email is personalised and addressed to the right person within the organisation. This will show that you have done your groundwork.
It also doesn't hurt that personalised emails are more likely to A. be opened and B. get responses. It is also important to keep the subject line of the email and the main body of text short and simple. It also means it is less likely to get flagged by spam filters.
Last but not least, don't delay in following up. Use the first 48 principle! If you don't hear back after 48 hours be sure to send a follow-up email. Studies suggest that 90% of recipients who don't respond to emails within 48 hours are unlikely to respond at all.
Remember that the employees are more interested in what you can do for them rather than what you want out of them. It is important that you establish your worth to them, and you need to demonstrate why you make business sense to hire.
Best of luck!
It's a challenging pursuit, but it's worth spending time on to do it properly. The TrustTwo team hopes you've found today's blog helpful and informative.
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