Looking for a New Job? Think like a Recruiter
Originally published at EJable.com Career corner - Looking for a Job?
What makes a job change difficult
Whether you are looking for a job change now or planning to do it in the near future, some small things can make significant differences to make getting that new job easier.
When you are in the job market, you are the seller. And when you are the seller, you need to think as a buyer. You need to understand what the buyer wants because that is the only way to sell anything. Thinking about what I want is important. But strategizing to translate that “what I want” into “what they want” is vital.
What is that you want in a job?
Income and benefits
Flexibility
Better work-life balance and personal wellbeing
Ability to do what you do the best
Job security and stability
What does an employer want?
Right skillset
Optimum salaries for the right balance of the cost and employee motivation
Teamwork and leadership qualities
Cultural fitment
Flexibility and Adaptability
Learning aptitude and change management skills
Good soft skills
Stability of the candidate – a history of continuous job changes within 2 years will set a loud warning alarm for most employers.
Future potential for more responsibilities
What do you think an employer wants?
Me 😊
Expectations bridging is crucial and for that, what is very important is to understand the possible point of view of the employer and then present ourselves in a balanced way in your application and during the interviews.
You may want the employer to offer you a lot of flexibility and perks like working from home and remote working, but then the employer would also want to see flexibility about such things or some other things as well.
How do we increase the possibility of getting shortlisted?
Resume and LinkedIn
The resume gets only a few seconds of attention from the employer. We may think that a few seconds may be enough, but if we deep dive and realize that a resume gets only 6 to 7 seconds for the initial screening, it becomes an eye-opener. Those 6-7 seconds decide whether the resume will be thrown away or is good enough for further attention.
A resume is the first impression a potential employer gets of you. It is this document that pulls a potential employer in, causes them to want to learn more, and ultimately, get to know you better. In a world of information overload, a compelling resume is an easy way to get employers to take notice.
Writing a resume is an art, but not a difficult one to master.
We have had a couple of instances when the team received resumes of 8 to 12 pages from potentially strong candidates. When their point of contact requested them to cut it down to a maximum of 3 to 4 pages, the reaction was:
“If an employer cannot even spend time reading through my resume to know what I have done, then I am not interested in such a company.”
Of course, we did not argue, but a couple of points here are:
The company will not have just 5 or 10 resumes for a position. They may be having 50 or even 200, if not more.
The resume is the first introduction and not an interview. And an introduction is just that – an introduction to making the first impression.
The first impression is the most important, and the first impression of our resume is the first and most significant opportunity to build our first impression. We need to remember that no one has an endless bandwidth for any task.
A picture can say 1000 words, but a thousand words don’t paint a picture
Apart from the Resume length, what else?
One size doesn’t fit all
One resume for every position with every potential employer drastically reduces the chances of shortlisting. A job is not that “evening out” event. It is an important phase of life, a part of the career journey. It is the future. If we can not put some good time into understanding the job description to see what an employer wants and present ourselves transparently but to reflect that we are a good fit, then we are not doing justice to ourselves. Their business will run even without us.
In many large organizations, the human factor is reduced in the initial short screening. It’s always possible that some machine algorithm may be doing that part of the job. And machines are just that – machines.
There are two side effects of machine screening – one is direct and one indirect. The direct effect is that the artificial intelligence algorithm is mainly trained to see the keywords at the right positions and their density. And the indirect effect is that the use of machines and various online platforms has increased the number of submissions, and there are more odds against you. So, suppose there are possibilities that human creativity might be missing at employer or recruitment company’s end. In that case, the candidate needs to fill that void – by doing something more creative to catch the eyes.
Always think that you are talking to an AI.
If you can beat that AI, which is easier to do, then with some creativity, you can win over the human who may be screening your resume instead of any artificial intelligence algorithm. Or the ones who will be screening once the AI has shortlisted your resume.
The Haystack and The You
“I have 10 years of strong experience in Android application development “
"6 years of successful English teaching experience“
“Demonstrated History of working as a project Manager”
Well, these kinds of introductions sound good but to them or to us?
Let’s go to the other side of the table and wear their shoes – the shoes of the person screening the resumes.
There must be a number of resumes claiming “Strong Android experience” or “successful teaching experience.”
There may be many resumes with a similar number of years of experience or even more.
It’s like making ourselves a needle first and then going an extra step to put ourselves in the haystack. So why not just be a needle and make a dent?
Where and How do We Stand Out in that Haystack of CVs?
When it comes to writing a resume, there are countless options for how to lay it out, how much information to include, and what facts to showcase.
The most important thing to remember when creating a resume is that the theme should reflect who you are as a person and what you want to do in your life. Instead of using your resume to state facts and showcase your accomplishments, the goal of a resume is to show that you are good at what you do and that you are passionate about it. That is where the showing instead of telling comes in; that is, demonstrating instead of merely stating facts.
Some of the examples are as follows:
“As a designer, I’m fiercely passionate about the work that I do. I live and breathe design – it’s not just a job for me; it’s my life. I can’t imagine doing anything else. When I’m not designing, I’m thinking about design – I can’t help it.”
“I am passionate about helping people. I have been working in the human services field for the past ten years and have been dedicated to improving the lives of those in need. I love the way that feeling useful makes me feel, and I am committed to helping others improve their lives. I want to help people and am willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means working long hours or going the extra mile.”
In your summary and experiences, use words like:
Achieved
Increased (e.g., efficiency, profitability, etc.)
Decreased (e.g., cost, manual efforts, downtime, etc.)
Improved
Resolved
Created
Launched
Ideas
Profit/Revenue
Influenced
Change management, etc.
And avoid those buzzwords or terms that people commonly copy and paste, like:
“Demonstrated History of”
Result-Driven
Team Player
Top Line & Bottom Line
Hard Worker
Dynamic
Strategic Thinker
Self-Motivated
Detail-Oriented
Thought Leadership
Go-to person, etc.
You may also get some ideas from the company’s website, considering their vision & mission statements, what they are focusing on, and their future road maps.
And all the above is equally important for the interviews also.
Why did we mention LinkedIn above?
Do not be surprised, but many hiring managers and recruiters visit your LinkedIn profile once they review your resume. Maintaining a healthy LinkedIn profile may add to the chances of your getting through the short screening process, not just at the resume screening level but also interview stage.
Using LinkedIn to Create Personal Branding
Everyone can be a brand – brand in the family, neighborhood, country, global, OR in the desired circle. You need to create your brand. Using LinkedIn effectively helps in personal and professional branding, and it goes beyond creating and regularly maintaining the profile. You can use this platform for professional branding by building a solid and selective network and then building an image by sharing your knowledge, helpful content, and successes.
Interviews
Many of the above things about how you present yourself in your profile would apply to the interviews. However, a job interview would last at least 45 minutes to one hour or more. And then, there would generally be more than one round with different stakeholders. Do check the article “Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Questions". The following points are crucial to enhance the chances of selection:
Thorough preparation by not just focusing on the skillset aspects but by learning about the company
Reflecting your Interest and Passion for the role
Showing Your future potential
Avoiding the expectation mismatch by putting your feet in the Employer’s shoes