Tips to Follow When You Are Applying
If you are looking for your dream job and wondering how to get hired, this blog is for you. Read and follow our recommendations, and you will know how to impress a potential employer. Your career is in your hands, just grab this chance and do not let it go!
- Apply for a job only when you have the required qualifications. One of the key mistakes made by people is when they forward their resumes to potential employers even when their qualifications and experiences do not match the job profile. If you think that “my perfect resume” will beat the competition, you may be wrong. You must present yourself as a likely candidate for the job. Otherwise, the impression that you create will be far from positive.
- Begin with a cover letter. It must be flawless. The purpose of your cover letter is to introduce yourself and advertise your qualifications and experiences to the potential employer. Remember that your cover letter must address a specific person, a manager of the company to which you apply, a HR specialist, or the owner. Avoid any familiarity. You are not writing it to a person whom you know! Writing a resume can be difficult, but writing a cover letter is a bigger challenge. Since you are applying online and the employer does not meet you personally, your cover letter should be impressive enough to convince the recipient that you should be interviewed. Pay attention to grammar and style.
- Redesign your resume to make it fit the job. Make sure that it is not to general or standardized to match all types of jobs and job descriptions. Hundreds of applicants seek “a challenging position” and an “ambitious employer” where they will be able to “realize their talents and skills to the fullest”. Once the employer reads any of these standard phrases, your chance to get the job of your dreams is gone. You certainly do not want to be discarded even before your resume was reviewed. Therefore, take some time to customize and edit your resume to make it look unique and exclusive. This is one of the most important lessons to learn if you want to know how to get hired. Do not make a typical mistake, by printing out a hundred of resume copies and sending them to each and every employer. If you do not know whether you want to work in marketing or management, create two different resumes for each position. Review the mission and vision of the target employer and customize your resume to incorporate these features.
- Focus on your strengths. Think of anything that makes you stand out in the crowd of other competitive applicants. When you are rewriting your resume to make it unique and exclusive, you will also need to emphasize your strengths and achievements. This is one of the first things that the employer will want to know before you receive an invitation for an interview. If you are a seasoned expert, then your resume should begin with a list of accomplishments and achievements during your career. For example, you may want to list your titles and the most prominent companies for which you worked. You may also want to include the most distinguished educational institutions where you studied. Focus on those strengths and achievements that match the qualifications of the job for which you apply. This way, your resume will attract attention before it joins a thousand of other rejected resumes. Even before you have a chance to send a thank you email after the interview, you need to receive an invitation, and a well-designed resume will certainly increase your chances for a face-to-face encounter with the future employer.
Preparing for an Interview
You will never get a perfect job unless you are invited for an interview. This is a huge challenge, much more serious than writing a resume. Modern employers have become increasingly time-savvy. They do not want to waste their time talking to ineligible candidates on the phone. Instead, they review each resume thoroughly to make a list of candidates who are worth receiving a call.
Make sure that your resume includes your phone number. Make sure that it is a valid number, and you can be actually reached at it.
Also, do not hesitate to include your cell phone number. Modern employers value mobility and flexibility. Besides, it is more convenient for you, since you do not have to sit at home waiting for an employer to call you. Do not forget that most employers will first want to talk to you on the phone before they are set to make an interview appointment with you. The good news is that most employees inform their applicants about the date and time of the phone interview in advance. It is a chance for you to advertise yourself, and it is a chance for the employer to ask questions or clarify any confusion surrounding your resume.
How to answer salary questions? When interviewed on the phone, you will discuss many different issues with your future-to-be employer. Do not hesitate to communicate your expectations in terms of salary. People who are confused or reluctant to discuss these issues usually lose a chance to be invited for an interview. The company will not waste its time on you if you want $100,000, and they cannot offer more than $70,000. Besides, your salary expectations can say a big deal about your professional identity. These are the simplest phone interview tips that you should use to learn how to get hired.
Do not waste your time on meaningless things. Preparing for an interview can be tiresome, no matter if it is a phone interview or a personal interview. When you have received the date and time of your phone interview, invest some effort in at least the basic preparation. It will not take a lot of time to visit the company’s website and review their mission and vision. Imagine what it will be like to work for the company. Imagine what your employer expects from you and what answers you may want to provide to questions that the employer is likely to ask you.
Now that you have passed the phone interview, and you have been invited to visit the company premises, you will have other questions to be answered and a whole set of preparation procedures to be carried out. What can you do to produce a positive impression on the employer and start a relationship that will translate into an employment decision?
- Make sure that you do not have anything to do on the day of your job interview. You do not expect your potential employer to make arrangements simply because you are running of time, do you? Present yourself as a punctual and accurate person. Be on the interview on time. Take additional measures to avoid lateness.
- How to dress for an interview? This is an important question since you must create a positive impression when you show up for the interview. No matter what field of work you are currently in, you must look neat and formal. Behave appropriately. Show your respect and appreciate this interview opportunity.
- No matter what types of jobs you plan to take, you will have to care about what you say and do. Do not be rude with the receptionist, who is likely to report your behavior to the rest of the company. Do not underestimate the role of politeness. It can become your ticket to the company of your choice!
- Most likely, you will need to fill out an application form. Write a targeted cover letter and create a list of accomplishments that make the application process easier and faster. This way, the interview will become just another opportunity to learn more about your professional and personal characteristics. Besides, the interviewer will try to understand if you fit in the culture and climate of the organization.
When you review the list of jobs available from the selected company, your task is to produce a curriculum vitae that will make a positive impression and present you as a competitive candidate. Phone screening and a job interview are just the first steps toward making a brilliant career! Just do it and you will succeed. We know it!
