New Year, New Job - Tips from our Recruiters.

Searching for a new job can be intimidating and overwhelming. Whether you were affected by a layoff or are just looking for the best next step (or first step for recent grads!) in your career, we compiled our top tips for landing your next role. From resumes to cover letters to using LinkedIn to your advantage, check out advice from our recruiters.??

Application tips to land an interview:?

Resume?

• Make it as reader-friendly as possible. Depending on the number of candidates, resumes are often quickly reviewed, so it needs to be easy to see your career highlights. ?
• Bullet points are best, as the average hiring manager looks at a resume for around six seconds.?Your resume should ideally be 1 page, but if it’s longer, make it no longer than 2 pages.??

• No need for a fancy template with lots of colors or a picture. Simple is great!??
• Use action verbs. Here’s a great list of verbs to use to start each of your bullet points. ?
• Make sure it’s up to date and the dates for your previous positions are accurate.??
• Save and upload as a PDF. This ensures that your formatting won’t change and cause any issues when we review it.??

Cover letter?

• Carefully read the job description and make sure your cover letter is tailored to the role. See if a cover letter is mentioned and if it’s required with the application. If it’s mentioned, definitely include one. Even if it’s not mentioned, it’s always a good idea to include one.?
• This is your chance to further tell your story beyond the resume and stand out amongst a sea of candidates. Some things to include:?How does your experience directly relate to the position? What makes you the ideal candidate? Why are you specifically interested in the company and position??Let your passion for the role or industry come through. For example, if you’re applying for a sales position, mention how much energy you get from being around other people.??

• Location – Pay attention to how we have the job listed. Is it remote? Do we specifically mention hybrid or fully in-office? While there may be some flexibility depending on the role, it’s important to make note of this.??If you’re applying to a hybrid or fully in-office position but you’re not local, include if you’re open to relocation.??For remote roles, we list what states we’re eligible to hire in. Are you located in one of those states? If not, include if you’re open to relocation.??

Interview tips to get past the initial phone screen:?

• Come prepared!?Research the company by reviewing its website and social media.?Have a few questions ready for the interviewer. You can almost guarantee that the call will conclude with some variation of “What questions do you have for me?” Some of our favorites include:?What is your favorite thing about the company? What learning and professional development opportunities are available to employees???
• Review your answers to potential questions the interviewer may ask. You don’t want to sound rehearsed, but there are tons of sample interview questions to review online. Reviewing some ahead of time can help bring past experiences to top of mind and helps to ensure you’re sharing the best examples you have.??When asked to talk about yourself, be prepared to go over the highlights of your career and anything else relevant to the role. It can be tempting to touch on every single past experience, but that’s not needed.??

• Use the STAR method to answer questions:?Situation – Set the scene and be specific. Task – Describe the challenge and the goals. Action – What steps did you take to accomplish the goal??Result – What was the outcome of your actions???

• If you have the contact information, send a follow-up email after your initial call. This is a quick and easy way to stand out.??

LinkedIn tips for getting noticed by recruiters and networking:?

• Even if you’re not currently looking for a new position, keep your LinkedIn profile up to date. Treat your job descriptions like you would a resume. Include high-level accomplishments, main projects, and tie your achievements to numbers where possible! It’s always better to see “I increased sales growth by 10%” compared to a more generic statement.?
• Utilize LinkedIn’s “skills” section for each job. When recruiters are sourcing using LinkedIn Recruiter, having this section filled out could increase your chances of showing up in their searches. This is also a quick way to showcase your strengths at a high level.??
• Should I use LinkedIn’s “open to work” banner???Yes! If you’re actively and openly searching for a new role, definitely use this. When using LinkedIn Recruiter, recruiters can filter for people who have the “open to work” banner. If we’re doing a search that yields a ton of candidates, this is a quick way to show us people who are most likely to be interested in an open role and can increase your chances of being messaged and learning about new roles.??If you’re passively open to work (not actively seeking a new position, but open to conversations if the right role pops up), you can still utilize the “open to work” banner. Just set it so only recruiters can see it. Similar to the above, this will include you in that group of candidates with the “open to work” filter recruiters often use.??

• Don’t be afraid to connect to people on LinkedIn. This can be colleagues (past or current), classmates, or other people in your field that you don’t personally know.?What are the benefits of LinkedIn connections??If you’re actively looking for a new job and post about it, the more connections you have, the more people there are that will potentially see it. You never know who may know someone that can help you out on a job search.??

• Should I connect and message someone at a company I’m applying to???Yes, if you send more than a generic message. Connecting with a hiring manager, recruiter, or someone at the company you have something in common with is a great way to stand out. Let them know specifically why you’re connecting. Do you have questions about a specific role? Questions about the company? What makes you stand out as an applicant? Having this referral could help you land that first interview.??

• Follow companies you’re interested in! This can give you a great idea of the company culture and their open jobs.??