If you are a job seeker in this current day market you have probably heard it ALL. Every tip on how to make you stand out from the crowd, every interviewing tip done by the book, standard behavioral questions an interviewer may ask, etc. etc.
PeopleCom is here to help.
With this tough job market, job seekers must understand that the companies that are hiring are going to be searching for very specific skill sets. The tough economy is hitting them too and they can’t afford to make a bad hiring decision so they may come off hesitant. A strong candidate should make themselves readily available by exposing themselves at networking events and social media sites (on top of having presence on traditional job boards). The combination of the social media craze and the tough economy has resulted in many companies looking to social media to find both passive and active searching candidates. If you’re not big into social media at least have a strong presence on LinkedIn. When you think about it LinkedIn is basically a virtual resume — plus you can make it as extensive and detailed as you want. Network and connect like it’s your job–because if you don’t have one looking for a job in itself IS a full-time job. So many hires these days are being found through social media sites or by referrals and just meeting/talking to the right person.
Experienced professionals that have been laid off may want to restructure their resume. Many times a solid candidate is overlooked because of a weak resume. For all you know, the expectations and guidelines of a resume may have changed the last time you were applying for a job. What seemed relevant 5-10 years ago may not be relevent now. Try to think of keywords, certain software, etc. that you used at your previous jobs. Some people fail to include impressive software or knowledge as being in the industry one can assume anyone in that industry will have the same credentials. But, for a recruiter or someone in HR that may not make that assumption and are searching HUGE databases by keywords for a particular job–your resume is being overlooked. It’s always a good idea to go to a resume workshop or job fair and have someone look at it and give you suggestions. That way you know how recruiters and hiring managers are interpreting your resume and skill set.
If you are currently employed it’s a good idea to also be updating your resume with new responsibilities you have acquired because down the road you may forget. (This is why LinkedIn is great because you can easily edit your description online as soon as you realize you have something worthwhile to add.)
As discouraging as it can feel at times you really do have to stay positive and keep networking and making yourself available as much as possible. It might feel useless at times to put in so much time and effort for little to zero results but when you find the right job it really pays off.
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