Looking for your next career move? Ever wonder why some people can land their dream jobs with ease?
Some people are able to nimbly jump over the many hurdles which HR Departments put in front of them. From personality profiling, medical examinations to being asked numerous questions of your innermost thoughts and dreams from a panel of complete strangers. If you have a job, you will know the stress this creates. It's a normal human reaction to find it daunting and I'm yet to meet anyone who genuinely enjoys it. It doesn't need to be this way. After working for over 11 years as a HR Professional and Recruitment Consultant, I've condensed the learnings from hundreds of recruitment campaigns into the following top 7 tips: 1. Be persistent but don't be a pest: Follow the instructions which are on the job ad. If it says apply via email, then apply via email. Constant phone calls to the recruiter or HR professional won't help your cause. They will just become annoyed. Remember most people prefer 'buying' than being 'sold' to so let them read your CV and they will give you a call. 2. Focus on your strengths, passion and ability: Follow the Jim Collins 'hedgehog concept' and be strategic on the types of roles you apply for. Don't spam your CV to every job in Seek. Be able to articulate your goals and be very clear what your strengths are. 3. Discover the problem to be solved: Remember the HR professional is keen to find a solution to a specific problem within the business. It might be a stagnation in sales or a safety risk which needs addressing. Keep turning over rocks until you find this and work out ways to find a practical solution. Chances are you will get the job. 4. Use spell check on your CV: That's right, use spell check. 5. Use specific examples: There is nothing more disengaging for a HR professional than candidates talking at length in generalities on what 'we' did. Tell them what 'you' did as part of a team. Good recruiters will be trained on behavioural event interviewing techniques so they will be looking for specific concrete examples. Tell them your war stories because that is where the gold is. 6. Use Google: Remember that every business has its own quirks. Having an understanding of their market, products, customers and value proposition shows your interest. 7. Be truthful and breathe: Virtually all anxiety and worry during this process is self generated. If you are truthful and prepared to do your best and lets things land as they may your anxiety levels will drop. Use mindfullness skills to stay in the moment and focus on breathing. Speaking the truth and being yourself will save you pain in the long term. If you fabricate anything, it will come out once you start in the role. Ultimately, a good recruiter will put you at ease and make sure the interview feels like a conversation. If the process feels too stressful chances are you don't have the skills yet or the business isn't the right fit for you. Both are signs to keep looking.