How to Get Hired: Advice That Puts You Ahead of the Competition
Imagine this scenario: You’ve found a job posting you love, but hundreds of other candidates have already applied for the position. Your resume has to be phenomenal to put you on top— how do you achieve that, though? Don’t worry; you don’t have to do this by yourself. As you go through this process, you can call on our career coaches and resume experts to help guide you.
Now, how can you get ahead of the competition and land the job?
Expand your network
Whether you’re searching for a job or not, always keep looking for ways to expand your network and connect with people that will help you advance in your career. There are multiple ways to grow your network.
Build your personal brand
By building your personal brand, you can get your name in front of other professionals and prospective employers. One way to do this is by attending networking events—many of them can be found on social media platforms and may even be advertised elsewhere online or on corporate websites. Wear a neat, professional outfit and be as friendly as possible.
You can also build your personal brand by launching a website that displays your work. For example, if you’re a writer, you can start a blog. Maybe you’re an artist: Creating a website gives you the opportunity to showcase your artwork so potential employers can see it. Programmers can also display their projects on a personal website. This really pays off if your previous work experience doesn’t line up with the job you’re applying for.
Finally, while this may not be related to your personal brand per se, one of the best ways to get hired is through a referral from a family member or a friend. Employers trust the judgment of their current team, so a referral can be worth more than qualifications.
Connect on LinkedIn
Nowadays, a LinkedIn account is a must for any professional. If you still haven’t joined the community, create an account without delay. LinkedIn opens up more opportunities than you can imagine. It’s almost guaranteed that hiring managers will research your LinkedIn profile while reviewing your resume. So, if you’re not on LinkedIn or haven’t updated your account, they may not feel comfortable hiring you.
That’s far from the only benefit of LinkedIn. The site offers numerous functions that increase your chances of getting a job. First of all, be consistent with updating your experience. If you get a new certification, complete a course, learn a skill, or achieve any other important career accomplishment, immediately update your LinkedIn profile. Your “Experience” section should match your resume—if it doesn’t, that’s a red flag for a hiring manager. You can only make an exception if there simply isn’t enough room on your resume to list all your employment history. With no size limit on LinkedIn, you can display far more information.
Next, connect with the right people. Work on establishing relations with employees at the companies you’re interested in so that you can benefit from each other. Don’t only look out for yourself—if you help them, they’ll also provide more value to you. To connect with the right people, tailor your LinkedIn profile to focus on the career you want, even if it differs from the one you currently have.
Finally, you can use LinkedIn as proof that you are a trustworthy employee. As you connect with people and help them out, they may repay you by leaving a five-star review that demonstrates your level of commitment and passion. When recruiters see your profile and notice the positive reviews, they see just how good of an employee you are.
Take your time
When you see attractive job opportunities, don’t apply for all of them immediately. It’s better to apply to 10 jobs that you’re seriously interested in rather than 70 jobs that you can likely tolerate. Research each company to see if it’s a fit for you. Consider various factors, including its culture and values, its people, the location, the salary, and the benefits.
Although you may be sending out fewer resumes, you’ll be submitting higher-quality ones tailored to specific jobs you want. Dispatching a generic resume to tons of recruiters doesn’t increase your chances of being hired since you’ll hardly come out on top with such a move.
Tailor your resume
Before you apply for a position, read the job description very carefully. Take note of any keywords, which will generally be distinct from the rest of the text—bolded, italicized, underlined, all caps, etc. Then, include all keywords that apply to you in your resume. It’s important to use the exact same words, not synonyms, because most modern companies put resumes through an applicant tracking system (ATS) that filters those based on keywords. So, if you use different terms, you’ll be disqualified before a human even gets to see your resume.
Another way to prove you have the right qualifications for the job is to showcase your professional achievements. Don’t just state your skills—prove them in your experience section by describing accomplishments that have added value for your previous employers. If you don’t tailor your resume, it will never make it to the hiring manager. Modifying it can be tedious, especially if you’re making a career change. However, you can hire a professional resume writer to overhaul your resume or tailor it accordingly.
If you don’t find ways to get ahead of your competition, you’ll be just another number in the pile of resumes on the hiring manager’s desk. Gain an edge by constantly expanding your network, tailoring your resume to each job you apply for, and looking diligently for the right opportunity. When it comes down to writing your resume, use our resume experts to do it for you while you focus on finding the perfect job!
