In the current market where unemployment is at 7.4% and
underemployment is at 11.7%, as a recruiter I am constantly speaking with
candidates who are looking for new roles.
At the same time, I’m speaking to our existing clients
regarding their needs and building new relationships with employers who are already
time poor and potentially looking through hundreds of applications.
It’s a tough time to stand out from the crowd. What can you
do to help your application be seen?
Below are my top 3 tips to help you stand out, particularly
at the very beginning of the application process.
- Re-evaluate your resume
A well-presented resume has moved beyond a list of roles and
duties; employers want to see specific skills and key achievements and how they
have been demonstrated in each role. And good news if you aren’t familiar with
clean and simple layout styles, you don’t need to work in graphic design to
create a visually appealing document!
If it has been a while since you updated your resume, re-evaluate
it through the following lenses:
- Is it concise?
- Is it targeted to the job?
DO: Make your resume visually appealing and easy to
read. Use short, direct sentences or dot points, and tweak your resume for each
job application. Save your resume in a common document format, such as Word or
PDF.
DON’T: Don’t exceed three pages as a general rule.
Don’t assume the same resume is suitable for every job you apply for. Once
you’ve established a career path, we don’t need to know about your high school
job at the fish and chip shop.
WHY IT MATTERS: A good resume can be the difference
between receiving an initial call or being ruled out as not suitable. Make sure
that your resume accurately describes your professional skills and experience,
and showcases how you tick all (or most) of the boxes for a successful
applicant.
- Be prepared, know the job
When you apply for a role, be prepared to receive a call from
the recruiter or the hiring manager. It’s frustrating on both sides speaking
with a candidate who does not remember what the role is or even applying for
the position!
When applying for multiple positions, write a list, set-up a
spreadsheet or find another way of keeping track of those jobs and the
organisations you have submitted your application to (some job boards
facilitate this). More importantly, keep a record of why you
applied.
Once you submit an application, add it to your list and jot
down three things you liked about the role that made you want to apply. That
way, when you receive a call, you will have a cheat sheet to jog your memory.
DO: Keep a record of the roles you apply for and what
you liked about the role. Be prepared for a call and refer to your notes about
why you’re suitable and why you want the job.
DON’T: Don’t try to wing it and hope for the best. If
you’ve kept notes, you won’t be caught off guard by questions such as, “Why did
you apply for this role?” or “What will you bring to this role?”
WHY IT MATTERS: This is your opportunity to really
impress a hiring manager or recruiter with your level of preparation, to convey
yourself as a candidate who is keen, on-the-ball and knows what they want!
- Communicate well – answer your phone
Even though we’re now accustomed to text messages or
communicating via social apps, the first point of contact from a prospective employer
will often be a phone call.
It is good manners if you don’t know who the caller is to
greet them and to identify yourself when you pick up the call: “Hello, this
is Hayley” or “Good afternoon, Hayley speaking” would suffice. This
way the caller knows that they are (or aren’t!) speaking to the right person,
and it provides them an opening to introduce themselves and the reason for
their call.
If you don’t normally use voicemail, consider setting one up
while you are applying for jobs. It should tell the caller who they are leaving
a message for and invite them to leave their name, contact number and the
reason for their call. If you already have a voicemail set up, review your
message to check that it meets these criteria and that the recording is clear and
easy to understand, without any background noise.
DO: Treat your phone like a business phone – answer
politely, greet the caller and identify yourself, set up your voicemail message
with a brief instructional message in your own voice.
DON’T: Don’t wait for the caller to speak first or answer
an unknown number in a casual or rude way. It’s preferable not to use voice to
text messaging services or other automated voicemail services that limit a
caller’s ability to leave you a detailed message. Please don’t make a joke out
of your voicemail – it won’t be funny if an important caller hangs up!
WHY IT MATTERS: This is your opportunity to make a
good first impression and position yourself with a personal brand for being a
good communicator. Simply being friendly and polite can set you apart from
other applicants.
What are you doing to stand out from the crowd? What are
some of the strategies that have worked well for you?
