If you’re unemployed, would like to change the course of your career, or are stuck in a job you honestly don’t enjoy, you’ll be on the hunt for a job that you’ll find rewarding and satisfying. While your hopes are high, finding suitable posts can be difficult, and landing the job itself is even more of a challenge. Use these tips to find a job matching your skills and interests.
1. Prepare Your Resume
You’ll see that most recruiters recommend tailoring your resume to show how your skills and experience equip you for a specific post based on the requirements listed when posts are advertised. But that needn’t stop you from preparing a generic CV as a starting point. Use the opportunity to objectively examine your strengths so that you’re better able to match yourself to job opportunities. A Melbourne resume preparation service can help you to prepare and tweak your resume as needed, presenting the points recruiters are looking for clearly and unambiguously.
2. Evaluate Yourself
What are the types of jobs you think you’ll enjoy? Consider your resume in the light of the skills and experience you’ll need.
Do you need to upskill? Should you try for a post that, while not yet what you really want, could prepare you for your dream job? So far, it’s a theoretical exercise, but it will prepare you to target positions you can realistically compete for and give you an idea of what you may need to do in order to get the kind of job you really want in the longer term.
3. Study Jobs Boards and Job Ads Carefully
When you’re eager to find a job as soon as possible, it may be tempting to apply for every single job you might be able to do – even when that’s a stretch of the imagination. Doing so is simply a waste of time. Just as recruiters are looking for people who are well-suited for the post they’re advertising, you should be looking for posts that would be a good fit for you.
When looking at ads, read the requirements very carefully. Do you have the qualities that will make your application competitive? How can you demonstrate that through your resume? If you haven’t worked before, think about things you did as a student that might prove the point, but remember not to aim too high.
Perhaps you can prove that you have potential in leadership, for example, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to apply for a top management post just yet. On the other hand, you could be a good trainee line manager, and that could prepare you for the big time.
4. Find Out About the Company Before You Apply
Whether you’re just trying to keep the wolf from the door or are shooting for a job that will advance your progress on a specific career path, understanding the company that is offering a post precedes your application.
Firstly, you need to know whether the company’s line of business and culture will suit you. What kind of working environment can you expect? Do you like what the company does and how it goes about doing business? Finally, how should you position yourself in your job application if you choose to apply?
Recruiters want people with the right skills, but they’re also interested in highly motivated applicants that really want to work for their company. You can indicate this in your covering letter, but to do so, you need to know what you’re talking about.
5. Submit Your Resume and Covering Letter
As we already noted, you will tweak your resume to highlight the personal qualities, skills, and experience that recruiters have specified and that you think you can match. But a resume is invariably a rather short document that doesn’t indicate your motivation for applying. That’s where your covering letter enters the equation.
While it’s your chance to blow your own trumpet, don’t come across as being conceited. The essentials you want to cover are why you’re applying, why you think you might be a good match, and what you’re able to bring to the table. Take your time when crafting this letter. It could be the most important part of your application.
Don’t be shy to mention any requirements you don’t meet and how you would go about addressing the gap. Recruiters will notice when you don’t meet a requirement, but as long as it isn’t absolutely core to the post, they may accept a basic grounding and willingness to learn as an advantage.
6. Follow Up
Being a nuisance and spamming recruiters with repeated mails and calls will not do you any favours. However, it’s worth following up to see whether your application has been received and to find out when you’re likely to hear whether you’ve made the shortlist.
While you might be disappointed if you aren’t called in for an interview, finding out what your application lacks can help you to work towards getting a similar post. You can also use the opportunity to ask the HR department to keep your CV on file in case a role you’re suited for falls open.
7. Make the Most of Your Interview
Your interview isn’t only a chance for prospective employers to evaluate you: it’s also your chance to evaluate them. While they have the advantage and will be asking most of the questions, you can form an impression of the dynamics inside the company and possibly squeeze in a question or two of your own. Remember, you’re looking for a job you’ll love – not just any job.
You don’t want to come across as being arrogant, but you’re as interested in finding out whether the company fits you as they are in finding out whether you suit them. You should have formed some impressions when doing your research and can try a couple of related questions if an opportunity arises. It can be a delicate business, so try to phrase your questions based on your role and how your skills would be deployed.
When to Go Back to the Drawing Board
As a job seeker, you’re not likely to land every job you apply for. But if you’re clearly out of your depth in the field you’ve decided is right for you, it’s time to revise your expectations. Be sure to talk to recruiters after a failed application or an interview that didn’t land you the post. In their opinion, what could you be doing to improve your chances of landing a similar job in future? Try to get clear answers about what’s lacking so that you can strategize for your future and prepare yourself for the role you’d like to occupy. Landing a job, you’ll love is worth the effort!
