The following is a guest post by Emily Manke.
Feeling fed up and ignored in your job search? You’re not alone.
The current employment market leaves many HR professionals and other hiring directors bombarded with a huge amount of applicants for nearly every position posted. This makes many hiring decisions based on 30-second snap judgments.
The high ratio of applicants to open positions creates an impossibly frustrating job search experience for those seeking employment. If you’re struggling to get a response from potential employers, pay attention to these job hunting tips to make your job search result in some actual responses, interviews, and job offers:
1. Research the company and the position you’re applying for. It’s just too easy to research a company before you apply or interview these days to have any excuse not to. Doing a thorough job researching a company and position is a good way to stand out to potential employers and appear prepared and knowledgeable during interviews. Going to the company’s website, reading some press releases, and watching any interviews with the press if available is a necessary step in your job hunt. Researching will also help give you an idea of the company’s culture, and if it’s a good fit for you.
2. Read the job description and application instructions carefully… very carefully. While this tip may seem obvious to some, I’ve seen too many qualified people make silly mistakes during the application process to not mention it. Read the job description in its entirety. If you are obviously not qualified, or not right for the job in some way clearly stated in the job description, and you apply anyway, you’re not going to get hired. You’ll also be considered kind of annoying. Be sure to research and discover which file formats are preferred when sending your resume and portfolio. It’s common for a company to not accept files of a certain kind, so read the fine print. It’s all in the details, people.
3. Make your subject line count. This seemingly insignificant little chunk of text offers an opportunity to have an edge in your job search. Surely you’ve been told to keep your resumes, file names, and subject lines professional, but that’s not where the discussion should end. The subject line in the initial email to a prospective employer is a great chance to introduce yourself. Sure, it has to be pretty brief, but in the times of hashtags and 140-character expressions, it shouldn’t be that hard to get your point across in a quick and unique way. Make sure to include all the vital information such as name, position, location etc., and add some character when possible and appropriate.
4. Specialize your resume. There’s no way your diverse career history could easily fit on a one-page resume, so don’t try to make it! It’s better to have a few different resumes geared toward the specific types of positions you’ll be applying for. In the long-run, you’ll be better off having two or three short, concise resumes rather than one long one. Save HR pros the trouble of having to sift through your experience to find out what’s relevant. It’s an easy thing to do, and it will end up saving you time and increase your chances of getting an interview.
So there you have it, four easy tips to help increase your odds in your job hunt. It’s never easy looking for a new job, but there are some things you can do to help you get hired. So don’t give up, keep persevering, and follow these tips!
About the Author:
Emily Manke is an Outreach Coordinator, Research Consultant, and blogger for OnlineHumanResources You can read her regular blog, here.
