The Best
50 Tips you will find
anywhere
JOB on how to get a
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Identify where the issue is OK so the elephant in the room is that it is actually fairly logical and easy to work out where the issue is if you are struggling to get hired. If you don’t get any responses to your job application then there is an issue with your C.V. and / or your covering letter. Work on your C.V. and covering letter until you start getting called back. If the recruiter or employer views your LinkedIN profile and then they don’t contact you then there may be a discrepancy between your C.V. and your profile, ensure these are perfectly mirrored. If you get call backs but don’t get offered interviews then the issue lies with your telephone manner or what you said to the recruiter, try to get some feedback from them but don’t hold your breath. See if you have any friends or colleagues that will do a mock telephone interview with you and give you constructive criticism on how you could improve.
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Bypass the middleman Recruiters are the people we all love to hate and it is a myth that they hold the keys to all the doors. The majority of vacancies are never advertised publicly and the roles that do get advertised will be inundated with applicants. Shortlist some great companies that you would love to work for and show initiative and dynamism by going direct and impress them enough to hire you.
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Show you mean it A lot of people say that they really want a job, some may even apply for some jobs, a few will approach companies directly but very few to no one goes above and beyond the crowd. Found a company you want to work for? Truly believe you can add value to their organisation? Great, turn up and start working there… literally offer to work for free until you prove you are worth hiring and paying.
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Peacock, Peacock, peacock It would be better to not get a job because someone didn’t like you than because they didn’t remember you, but only just. Stand out from the crowd but don’t go to the extreme and you will have a much better chance of being hired. Do things that are appropriate for your audience, e.g. if you are applying for a graphic design role then a cool looking and colourful C.V. is a great idea, but if you sent this type of C.V. for a job at a financial institution then you are unlikely to get a job.
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Go forth and multiply
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Badges mean prizes
In probably all areas of life it is useful to have contacts. In our personal life we call these people family and friends and the more the merrier. Networking is not just for businesses, you should be developing a network of contacts for your professional life and you will find opportunities you might not have been privy to through the traditional channels.
Having industry relevant certifications and qualifications are a great way to help you get interviews and can often be a pre-requisite to being hired for a role. If you are struggling to get hired then consider up skilling and adding to your c.v.
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The words you don’t say Most intelligent people would agree that leaving a job before you had another one to go to is not the best move but for a lot of genuine and legitimate reasons people end up between jobs. The problem is that recruiters and employers will typically assume that if you are unemployed or have been made redundant, it is for a negative reason. Clearly this is unfair and may not have any basis in reality but it is important to accept this reality and make the best of the situation.
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You imposter! Understand that many recruiters will deliberately or through laziness leave a job posting live after a job has been filled. This enables them to get as many applicants on their database as possible so don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear back from certain job postings as quite a few these days are either stale or in some cases were never a real job in the first place.
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Stand your ground A popular trend at the moment with recruiters is to insist on your references before they put you forward for a role. This is a scam to get your reference details so that they can try to sell them recruiting services. Stand strong and only release your references to the employer or once you have an offer in writing.
One C.V. fits all If you just have one C.V. then you are missing a trick. Everyone likes to feel special, remember how you feel when you get generic ‘Happy BDay’ messages on Facebook as opposed to a hand written card with an inscription, that personal and unique touch is vital when applying for a role. Customise your C.V. to be relevant for the role to give yourself the best chance of being called back.
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Location, location, location OK so this tip is harder to execute but is potentially one of the most important ones. If you are trying to get a career in a certain field then it makes sense to apply for roles where that industry is most prevalent. If you are only willing to work in your village and surrounding villages then your available employment options are going to be significantly less than London, for example.
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Don’t get mad, get even
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You are not alone
We all know the issues with the current recruitment industry but rather than letting it get you down, learn how to play the game and succeed within it and you will find your job hunting will be a much less stressful experience. Your mind set will come across unconsciously when you speak to recruiters so it is important to embrace this point.
It is vital to realise that you are not alone; there are thousands of people in the same position as you, feeling like they are banging their head against a wall. Stay positive and keep trying.
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Einstein’s definition of insanity
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Everyone is an expert
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Discrimination is rife!
Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If you have sent 300 C.V.s and not had a response then sending another 300 is not the answer, instead try to ascertain why the first 300 were not successful and then use trial and error in batches of 10 and keep refining until you get a better response.
You will find countless people online and in your personal life that are willing to give you advice on how to get a job within your chosen field but very few of these people have actual experience of doing so themselves, be selective from whom you take advice.
OK so a lot of people are struggling to find a role and hitting up the forums to speculate that it may be because of their age, race, religion, weight, appearance or gender. The truth is that people are subject to prejudices and unfortunately this is currently a real and present issue in the workplace. Try to be the best version of you that you can and put a positive foot forward; this can be disarming for someone with prejudices. The reality is that there are certain roles that you will simply never get hired for, move on quickly and put it out of your mind and focus on the innumerable companies that would love to hire you.
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Back to basics You may or may not be surprised to hear that the majority of C.V.s are poorly written, sloppily formatted and riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes. With modern word processing software there is simply no excuse for not creating a well-written and correctly formatted C.V.
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Be prepared When you do finally get a face-to-face interview, please ensure that you prepare sufficiently. Check out the person’s website and glean as much information as you can on the trajectory of the company or organisation. Look at the LinkedIN profile of the person(s) that are interviewing you and get an idea on the kind of person they are. Thoroughly review the job specification and do your best to study any areas of weakness prior to interview.
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Common questions You can get an almost unlimited number of sample interview questions online, source a dozen or two to practice with your friends and family. Don’t spend too long on this as you will never be able to prepare for all the possible questions and even if you could it would make you sound unnatural.
Volunteer It is a bit of an old cliché but it can actually lead to a job offer if you start off as a volunteer but even if it doesn’t lead to work directly, it looks good on your C.V. that you are willing to volunteer, particularly to charitable organisations.
Check yourself Many employers will check your Facebook and other social media accounts to see what sort of person you really are. Either hide your social media pages from public view or better yet, ensure that you don’t look and sound like a complete idiot on your pages.
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Those that can... It may be time to consider starting your own business, have a think about your skills and do some market research in your area to see if you could offer a service that people would buy.
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Dress to impress
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Narrow your search
It is absolutely vital that you turn up for an interview in a suit or equivalent, no excuses or substitutes. You can never be too over dressed for an interview, but you can certainly be underdressed.
Most of the major job sites have advanced search options that really enable you to narrow down the jobs that you want to be able to apply for. Use this tools wisely and you will reduce the wasted time on unsuitable job applications.
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Scattergun approach It is possible these days to be able to apply for hundreds of jobs in a single session but this is a bad idea for so many reasons. The reality is that you should only apply for jobs that you are a good fit for and you should also be taking note of the recruiter that is managing each role, not least because sending 10 applications to the same recruiter for each of the roles that they are recruiting for is hardly going to ingratiate you to them.
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Cover letter It is certainly possible to get a job without having a cover letter but these letters can be useful if you have areas of your C.V. that require further explanation, such as redundancy or periods of unemployment.
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Not your life story
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Be yourself
Your C.V. is not your autobiography it is a concise and relevant summary of your work experience. ONLY include information that is completely relevant for the role you are applying for and think hard to ensure that your content is compelling, even if you have to put a bit of spin on a task or responsibility.
But be the professional version of yourself. You want to be likeable and endearing but you don’t want to appear unprofessional.
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Interview yourself
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Primacy effect
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Imagine how you are coming across to your interviewer, if you are bad mouthing your ex employer, or offering to steal customers from a competitor, this is likely to backfire on you.
Humans tend to remember the first and last things that they are told and this can be extended to the wider world. If you are one of many interviewees, it is important to ensure that you remain in the consciousness of your potential employer. Send them a nice thank you email or letter to thank them for the opportunity, this needs to be done immediately after the interview to maximise the effect.
References need love It can be a laborious job to be someone’s referee. Make sure that you regularly thank your references for continuing to help your career.
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Don’t follow your dream
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Create your role
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At the expense of your life. It is important to have dreams and passions and this is certainly true in the world of work, but you also need to pay the bills and feed the family so try and find a balance.
If your role doesn’t exist, create one and demonstrate why this role not only needs to exist but why you are the best person to fill it.
Listen All too often a candidate will be so nervous that they talk their way out of a job. Be calm and allow your potential employer to also speak. They will want to tell you about their company as much as you want to tell them about yourself.
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Interview them
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The fewer steps the better
Understand that not only are they interviewing you but you are also interviewing them, it is perfectly reasonable to ask questions about the direction of the company and the background of the people interviewing you. Like with all things, the way you do this will determine whether you come across as genuinely interested or arrogant.
The more people between you and the decision maker for a role, the more chance that someone will decide against you. If you can go directly to the decision maker by being bold then you only have 1 person to please.
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Know the true boss In any business there are those who are in positions of power and those that are the real bosses on a day-to-day basis. For example the assistant of a director may be low down on the organisational chart but would have the inside track to a business stakeholder, ensure that you get on the good side of these people.
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Body language
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Dream job
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Creative
Your body language is a crucial component of how you will come across at interview to your potential employer. Try your best to be relaxed, with good posture and don’t fiddle too much with your hands.
Don’t expect to get your dream job straight away, most people don’t get into a job that they love straight away, if ever. The best that the majority of people hope for is to earn more money and get more interesting work throughout their career.
Demonstrate your ability through creativity so that you stand out, perhaps by writing a proposal on how you would help the business during your first 6 months.
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Mobile phone This one should be obvious but make sure that your phone is off during an interview, without fail. It wouldn’t take much more than this to put off a potential employer if your phone went off during your interview.
Don’t be on time Be early, it reduces the chance of you being late and also shows that you are keen.
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Bring your paperwork
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Email address
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Language skills
Bring your C.V. and I.D. etc. with you so that you can proceed with an application if they are interested.
If your email address is badboygangsta@hotmail.com or similar then you might want to create a new email address, even if it is just for job applications.
If you are applying for a role in a country where their language is not your native one then the fact that you have a PhD and are perfect for the role are not going to be enough. Spend time ensuring that you work on your language skills daily to ensure you are as close to a native speaker as possible. Most people don’t want to tell you this for fear of offending you but it’s a real problem, particularly in the UK.
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Pitch yourself The reality is that not every job role and company will be a good fit for you and that’s OK. Don’t try to make every role fit. You can try your best to pitch yourself appropriately but you could pitch yourself as a hungry ambitious individual to a hiring manager that only wants a plodder. Equally, you could play down your skills to be humble and find that the hiring manager wasn’t sold on your capabilities. Always be you at your best and sell yourself, if you are overqualified or too ambitious for the role then you want to find this out before they hire you to avoid you become disgruntled very quickly.
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Hiring managers are people
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Attitudes are everything
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Specialist websites
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Persist
If you can make the interview process more enjoyable, this can only go in your favour. Interviewing is boring and repetitive and anyone that comes along to brighten up your day during this process will be viewed positively.
Most people would rather train up someone with a great attitude than have to tolerate an expert with a bad attitude.
Most industries have specialist job board websites, use these instead of generic job boards to find more relevant roles.
This is imperative to get a job, stay positive and keep applying and refining and eventually you will get hired.