When you apply for a job, you need to think about what employers are looking for from you. Have you ever heard of the five-minute rule, or indeed the sixty-second rule? They’re both quite simple. On average, an employer will spend sixty seconds looking at a CV or resume before deciding whether to offer a potential candidate an interview and around five minutes interviewing before they decide whether that candidate is getting the job. Now, these times can be slightly flexible, but the key thing to realise here is that employers make decisions very quickly and so you need to make sure that you offer them exactly what they want.
The reason why business owners can make hiring decisions almost ridiculously quickly is simply due to the fact that they know exactly what they’re looking for. Every business owner has a key idea in mind of who they want to hire, and they’re just waiting for that individual to walk through the door. Of course, this begins with the first application to win the interview so let’s start there.
Examine The Job Ad Carefully
Job advertisements aren’t designed to trick candidates nor are they put out in the hope of getting as many people to apply as possible. Instead, these ads are used to get as many as the right people to apply. So, you might think that candidates are being sought out from far and wide and that’s true.
But, if you read the ad, you’ll see that employers are providing almost exactly what they are looking for. They’ll tell you how much experience and that’s a key detail to know. If you don’t have the necessary experience, you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth applying. But remember, if you do, you’re already approaching the position from a significant disadvantage. You’ll need to draw attention away from experience and instead focus on knowledge. You may not have the time in the job, but you managed to get a first and great references will certainly help as well.
Make Your Resume Unique
A lot of people send out the same resume for every job that they apply for. You shouldn’t do this. A resume should be designed to match the job perfectly. While this takes more time and requires a significant amount of effort, it will certainly be worth it. You will quickly discover that this means that your resume doesn’t end up in the trash. For more prestigious and competitive positions, you might even get your resume professionally designed and written. A senior executive resume needs to be precise, concise and most important of all, eye-catching. Ticking off these boxes can be difficult so you will almost certainly need the help of someone who has the professional skills to do this.
Remember, when you are creating your resume, you also need to think about your USP. It’s important that there’s something there that no one else can bring to the table. This could be anything and will often depend on the position. It might be a unique reference, a cool qualification, or perhaps even a brilliant experience from a gap year. Professionals like ARC Resumes in IL can help you find all the right USPs for your applications if you are struggling in this area. Though it is a necessary struggle to write a resume that sells because if nothing separates you from the crowd this again puts you at a disadvantage, and you don’t want that.
Winning The Interview
If you create an awesome CV, you will get called back for the interview which is important. An interview is where you win or lose this dream position that you’re seeking out and remember what we said. Decisions are made fast here. You need to work to impress straight away. But how do you do this?
Well, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of appearance. An employer will look at you and decide whether you match the brand of their company. They will be looking for people who are impressive in both what they can bring to the table and how they appear. Of course, that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
You also need to follow the right interview technique. A lot of candidates make the mistake of trying to steer the interview in a direction that they are comfortable with. You shouldn’t do this. Allow the interviewer to guide the questions and answer them as succinctly as possible. Don’t get lost because if that happens, you could lose the interest of the employer completely. Although do feel free to work something in that you believe shows why you are the best candidate for the position.
We hope you find this advice useful and use it to win your dream career.