5 Tips For Making It To The Shortlist

Whether you are actively job hunting or you have been headhunted and are now intrigued by an exciting opportunity, we have some simple tips that will help you put your best foot forward to move up the recruitment ladder on to the short list.

(Read the full article with extensive practical pointers on our website here .)

How you present on your LinkedIn profile, in your CV, and in meetings online or face to face will influence how far you go in the recruitment process just as much as the skills and experience you are communicating. Making the right information quickly and easily accessible to the person recruiting improves your chances of being taken seriously.

Tip One: Turn your LinkedIn profile into your marketing tool.

Without a doubt, a professional recruiter, a search consultant, an HR person or a line manager involved in the recruitment process - if not all four - will check out your LinkedIn profile. Very often it’s the first point of contact with you and will definitely influence whether you are asked for your CV.

Tip Two: Present your credentials in a world-class CV.

Your next key marketing tool is your CV. And your CV will be the deciding factor whether you will be called for an interview. It’s worth spending time on it and you can create an edge for yourself just by working through our action list.

Tip Three: Take interviewing with a recruiter seriously.

Your LinkedIn profile triggers sufficient interest to review your CV. Your CV triggers an interview. Now you are on the long list and your aim must be to get onto the shortlist. This invariably happens via the interviewing process, which is where candidates often blunder. Even a brief discussion with the recruiter is an ‘interview’, it’s not a chat. You can fall down right at this point by not taking the first encounter seriously. If you do not impress the recruiter, it’s unlikely that you will get in front of the client, let alone on to the shortlist.

Tip Four: Prepare for an online interview.

If you are not used to having online meetings from the place where you will have the interview, practice with someone beforehand and get some feedback.

Tip Five: Set Yourself Up To Succeed.

Make sure you're dressed appropriately, research the company you're interviewing with, review the original job brief and have your own questions ready.

Despite the ongoing ‘talent scarcity’, finding a job that is your perfect match and convincing recruiters that you are the perfect candidate is still a challenge. You want to give yourself the best chance and following these simple steps will help you achieve that.