We’re already a month into 2022 (how did that happen!) and you might be thinking of changing your job, according to research around 25% of employees are looking to switch roles or companies early this year.
You’ll have read about the ongoing recruitment crisis at the moment in the UK, lots of jobs and not enough people, meaning that this is what we call a ‘candidate driven market’. This isn’t likely to change in 2022 and whilst that may ‘put you in the driving seat’ it’s essential that when job hunting and interviewing you remember the fundamentals of seeking a new role…
Update your CV
CVs remain the number one item in your job-hunting toolbox. Use your CV to its best advantage, by following these hits and tips:
- Tailor your CV to each job role you’re applying for, using one CV for all job roles and levels won’t cut the mustard, use your CV to show off your adaptability and if you’ve got transferable skills, now is the time to showcase them.
- Focus your CV on your outputs and achievements, steer away from task-based information where you can.
- Keep it simple - recruiters want a straightforward resume that is easy to read with key headlines to grab attention - they don’t want to read (nor have they the time) War & Peace!
- Be concise.
- Be honest - don’t embellish your achievements, these things have a habit of coming back to bite you later on, you’ve got to live up to what’s written on your CV, so keep it real.
- Include a personalised and specific covering letter, don’t copy and paste a blanket message for all job roles.
- Respond as you’re directed to in the job advert. If it says email in your application, then do so, if it says submit through a portal, then do so. Don’t try and circumvent the process, it won’t win you any favours.
- Your work history should match that of your LinkedIn profile.
- Be keyword friendly - use commonly used words throughout your experience and skills section such as ‘digital marketing’ or ‘SEO’, it helps recruiters to search CVs when using job sites.
- Make sure your contact information is complete including mobile number, email address and?LinkedIn profile link. We see so many CVs without email or phone numbers, which makes it very difficult to get hold of the candidate when we have a job to discuss. Put contact information at the top of the CV and not the bottom.
- Remember to lock down or change your social media privacy settings – recruiters and Employers do check on a regular basis!
This article on?Totaljobs, might also be helpful.
?Update your LinkedIn Profile
Every professional at every level should have a LinkedIn profile these days, it could be the gateway to your next role and your chance to showcase your ‘personal brand’.
- Make your headline snappy and eye catching, talk about what you do for people rather that what your job title is, look at the difference in these two for example:
?‘Expert at organising and co-ordinating a busy office’ or ‘Helping the wider team achieve great things through office efficiency and organisation’
- Make sure you have an up-to-date (work related) headshot as your profile photo and add the frame #opentowork if that’s appropriate to you. If you’re handy with Canva, create yourself a good cover photo as well.
- Update your About section to include all your up-to-date information, make sure you include an email address in here and phone number, so people can get hold of you easily. Your About section should be a showcase of who you are, the type of person you are, what gets you up in a morning, what skills you have, what kind of work you love to do - this is your chance to sell yourself.Save what work you’re doing for your current employer for the experience section.
- Make sure you tick the box “open to recruiters”
- So talking about the experience section - make sure this matches your CV in terms of job roles, dates and achievements. Ensure there are no gaps, and if there unavoidably are, explain these in your About section.
- Education - so we don’t need to know what primary school you went to, but depending on your age, include at least the last educational establishment you attended.
- Activity - your activity on LinkedIn is there for all to see. LinkedIn provides potential recruiters and employers with a handy summary of your activity, and showcases clearly the last 4 things you posted, so be sure to remain positive, relevant, and professional at all times when posting and commenting on LinkedIn.
- Featured section - this is the place to showcase some of your work on your profile. If you’ve written an article, created a webpage, written a post that had fantastic traction this is the place to add and display it. It gives recruiters and potential employers a quick overview of your personal brand and is a great way to showcase the best of your work.
- Networking on LinkedIn is a great way to keep up to speed with what’s going on in your job field, an excellent way to research the company you are interested in working for, a place to educate yourself and a place to ‘hangout’ in the business world. If you don’t ever like, comment or post - how will recruiters and potential employers be able to ‘see’ the person you really are?
This isn’t an exhaustive list about LinkedIn, there is a lot more to it, but this is good to get you started. If you’re interested to know more, then check out?Alice Fewings.?
?Prep for your interview
This is your moment. Your chance to shine. Your chance to stand out in an interview and make the interviewer sit up and listen. Don't sit like a rabbit in the headlights and ask about benefits or salary, show the interviewer what you're made of, show them you're a critical thinker. Show them you've given real thought to this interview before you showed up.
- What would I be expected to achieve in my first six weeks and what metrics do you use to measure success?
- ?What are the main goals of the company at the moment and how will this role contribute??
- Can you tell me more about the team I’d be working with and where this role sits within that hierarchy??
- Tell me about the traits of your top performers.?
- Has the company faced any big challenges recently and how were they tackled??
- What challenges have previous employees in this role faced??
- What attracted you to working at the company and what keeps you motivated after so long??
- What are the training opportunities like at the company? Are these mostly internal or are there external courses available? How much time is dedicated to development??
- Are there any gaps in my experience or skill set that you’re concerned about??
The theory behind each of these questions and how you might best use them can be read here in this?source article.
?Wishing you the very best with your job search,
