How to get a JOB - Fix up, Look sharp!

Since the pandemic it seems like the world has come to a standstill, and in the shock of it all we too seem to have put our lives on pause.

I am here to tell you that hoping for the best is not the only thing you can do; not only will we outlive this thing BUT we will come out of it BETTER.

2020 has been a lifestyle changer for the most of us, and even though I hear so many people keen to write it off. They fail to realise that amongst all the chaos there is a silver lining.

Given, gone are the days where we are going out on the regular, shopping or simply catching up with a friend over some coffee.

Instead of desperately trying to escape reality by searching through your Netflix, watching anything and everything just to past the time, you can take the bull by its horns and take control of your life. After all, how often do we have so much free time at home.

How, I hear you ask?

“Personal development is a major time-saver. The better you become, the less time it takes you to achieve your goals.”

Brian Tracy

Self-development is the keystone to everyone’s goals. It is no new concept, but it is often neglected and put aside. Lucky for us, with the right mindset we can continue our journey of growth whereby the digital age has allowed us to access information anywhere, everywhere and at any time - be it reading online, audio books, online classes, webinars, gaining certifications …the list goes on.

By doing this you are not only investing in the most important thing “YOURSELF” but come crunch time when you are asked how you’ve spent your time, your response would not be like everyone else’s. You did NOT stay at home twiddling with your thumbs BUT you took the initiative in developing yourself for a better future. If that does not scream out maturity, productivity, and a great attitude then what will?

Let us stop blaming the world for what has happened and start focusing what we CAN do instead of what we CAN'T do.

?The power of the CV

Being in recruitment for over a decade I can honestly say that out of the thousands of CV/resumes I have seen only a few have stood out to me.

I am not talking about the lack of skill, lack of experience or even how aesthetically pleasing it was, I am talking about the lack of relevance.

In short, a CV should be regarded as a sales pitch and its core purpose is to spark interest.

 Do’s

Good CV’s are ones that attract. They are easily read with a brief description of the who, what and how followed by 2-3 achievements in that role.

In every job there are targets and "your job" is to show you can achieve them. This is where the value comes in. The attraction is when the responsibilities and achievements align with the job and most importantly include measurements of success.

A responsibility example; if you are a manager that has managed 5 people and the company are looking for someone to manage 5-8 people. Then in the eyes of the employer that would make you a strong potential.

Achievement example; a salesperson would write something in the lines of; exceeded sales target by 120%, or hit target by increasing new client’s acquisitions from 3 to 10 in a space of 6 months.

Responsibilities tell

Achievements sell

The more relevant your CV is to the job, the more likely you are to be shortlisted. Obvious as it may seem, you will be surprised how many people JUST list the responsibilities without connecting it to the role they are applying for or even putting in their achievements. This kind of targeting will not only save you time, but will ultimately make you more prepared come interview day.

DONT'S

Do not make the CV over 3 pages long, do not bulk write, and don’t put irrelevant topics like how much you love dogs or that hiking is your passion. As mentioned above a CV needs to be precise and to the point, think sniper not machine gun.

The job market has become so accessible, people can now easily apply with just a click of a button. This has distorted the recruitment lifecycle and has meant that often times companies receive too many applications to go through.

Employers will not take the time to thoroughly read through a 3-6 page CV, as interesting as it may be time is of the essence, and in reality the CV will be skimmed through and pushed aside.

In the world we live in today, it is unfortunate that we get judged by a piece of paper, however these are the rules of the game and to win you must play.

Getting discovered

It is worth noting that when recruiters do searches in finding suitable candidates, they would do so by using “word searches”. Take for example an IT company is looking for a Sales professional to sell education software to schools in Seoul.

The search would be “sales” “school” “universities” “software” “business development” “Seoul” “education”. The more times these buzz words are appropriately mentioned in your CV the more likely you will be discovered.

This would also apply to your LinkedIn, and if you don't have one, I strongly suggest you get one. It is an increasingly popular tool used amongst companies and recruiters in finding and targeting potential candidates.

Be wary though as I have seen many professionals who either copy and paste or even attach their CV on there.

For someone who has been in the recruiting business, I would refrain from pasting an entire CV. It is not the right medium, and frankly it may come across as lazy and desperate. Keep it simple and use the “buzz words” in which you want to be identified with.

Any questions and likes are welcome below!

GOOD LUCK!