Do you still not understand that presenting yourself to the recruiter and hiring company is 100% marketing? The only purpose is to get you an interview!
And it’s the job interview that leads to the job offer. That is if the hiring manager finds you qualified. And equally important is if you find the job, that manager, and their company culture of your interest.
But how do you present yourself on LinkedIn? How well-designed is your 2-page resume? Are you still shooting yourself in the foot by sharing a 5-page or more CV?
In today’s competitive job market, standing out from other candidates can be a challenging task. As a job seeker, it’s important to make yourself attractive and interesting to the recruiter.
In this blog, we’ll explore some tips on how you can make yourself stand out and increase your chances of getting an invitation to come for an interview and eventually be hired.
Tailor your resume to the job description
One of the most important things you can do is to tailor your resume to the job description. It means you will likely end up with 3-4 slightly different resumes over time. And that is just fine.
Recruiters are looking for candidates who have the skills and experience that match the requirements of the job.
By highlighting your relevant skills and experiences in your resume, you’ll make it easier for the recruiter to see how you can add value to their client’s organization.
Demonstrate your passion for the industry
Recruiters are looking for candidates who are passionate about the industry they work in. Whether it’s through your hobbies, volunteer work, or previous job experience.
Be sure to showcase your enthusiasm for the field. This will make you stand out as someone who is committed and invested in the work you do.
Highlight your achievements
Please, please, do not just list your job duties. I know it’s easy to copy from your current job description. But, I mean, we know what an HR Manager does. We know what a Sales Manager is supposed to do. What about Accounting & Finance; yes we also know what they do.
A great way to make yourself attractive to recruiters is to highlight your achievements and accomplishments. We call them the successes and results that you have had and are most proud of.
Use these most popular action verbs to start each bullet point:
- Improved
- Advanced
- Spearheaded
- Exceeded
- Grew
- Built
Add numbers, percentages, periods, and similar to make it real. This will demonstrate your ability to deliver results and make a valuable contribution to the organization.
Be confident and enthusiastic
When you’re interviewing for a job, it’s important to be confident and enthusiastic.
Show the recruiter and the hiring company that you’re excited about the opportunity and eager to learn more about the company.
It will make you more attractive as a candidate, as it demonstrates that you’re motivated and engaged.
Be prepared to ask questions
A job interview is not like being questioned at the police station.
The job interview is for both parties to learn more about each other. Recruiters and hiring managers generally like candidates who are more assertive and those who ask good questions.
Sometimes, the questions by a candidate are more telling than their answers.
Tom Sorensen, Headhunter
- For the hiring company, will you be able to do the job?
- For you, do you want to accept a job offer if coming?
You must be prepared to ask questions during the interview process. It shows that you’re interested in learning more about the company and the role and that you’re invested in the interview process.
- What are the skills or profiles of people who are the most successful in your company?
- What are the most important tasks that need to be looked at, say the first 100 days?
- What 5-6 things should I deliver in the job to be considered successful?
Ask for the job, yes you should. At the end of the interview, you must say that you are interested in the job (of course only if you are at that point) and that you would like to know what the next steps are.
Nurture your LinkedIn or delete it
Of two poor choices, no LinkedIn profile is better than having a bad LinkedIn profile!
A LinkedIn profile that is not updated, with no personal photo or background image, with few connections, and the list goes on… is so bad for your image and brand that it’s better not to be on LinkedIn at all.
Is your excuse that you are not using LinkedIn yourself so why bother keeping your profile top-notch, attractive, and up-to-date?
The challenge for all of us is that fashion and styles keep changing constantly. Just look at clothing, cars, buildings, colours, and design to see the never-ending changes.
Best practice in resume writing and LinkedIn profiling also keeps evolving. Often, it’s caused by new developments in technology and programming of applications.
In conclusion
Making yourself attractive and interesting to recruiters requires a combination of skills, experience, enthusiasm, and preparation.
By tailoring your resume to the job description, highlighting your accomplishments, demonstrating your passion for the industry, being confident and enthusiastic, and asking thoughtful questions, you can increase your chances of standing out from other candidates and getting hired for your dream job.
