Below are some general tips to help you if you are job hunting whether you are out of work or looking for a new opportunity.
No 1. If you are looking for a job because of re-organization or downsizing at your last company, and your severance package includes the service of a career transition company; take full advantage of it! These companies offer training and counseling in resume development, self marketing, interviewing, negotiating, networking, career assessment and so on. Take every course you can. Even if you already have a great resume or networking skills, they can always be better. Career transition companies also normally run networking groups where you can get support, feedback and advice from others in your same situation.
This is also a great time to step back and take stock of your career. Think about what you enjoy in your work, what gives you satisfaction and motivates you, and what you're looking for in a company. This will help you focus your search going forward.
No 2. Network, network, network. Many jobs come from casual or formal networking opportunities. If you are uncomfortable or not used to networking then find a local career networking group and practice with them. Have your elevator speech prepared and be confident at giving it.
No 3. Choose a good recruiter. Make sure your recruiter will not present you to a company without checking with you first. There are two potential problems with this. One is where a recruiter presents your resume to a company without you knowing and you apply directly to the same company. The HR staff may ignore both applications as they don’t want the potential conflict of the same resume coming in from multiple sources. The other problem is one of confidentiality. You may be unknowingly presented to a company where someone recognizes your resume or where you simply don’t want to work.
If you post your resume on a job board such as Monster or HotJobs you will get calls and emails from many recruiting companies. Be very selective. Working with too many recruiters can be counter-productive and can hurt your job search. The bottom line is that you should go with a recruiter who you trust and who you expect to be ethical. The job search process can be tough and stressful so remove as many stress factors as you can.
No 4. Have a great resume. If your resume is old then update it. Make sure it is relevant and readable. Many people feel a resume should be no more than 2 pages long. Personally, I would happily read 2 or 3 pages when I was hiring for my corporate positions; if the resume had something of interest to the position I was trying to fill. Don’t make the mistake of cramming far too many words into a bullet, paragraph or page. Remember that these days a HR recruiter or hiring manager receive many resumes for each position they have. If it’s hard to read they will probably move on to the next one. Include a list of key technical skills below your objective or summary section on the first page. Make sure your skills and accomplishments (see below) reflect the particular value you can bring to the advertised job responsibilities when you are applying to a specific job.
Make sure that the bullets in your professional accomplishments section show results and metrics. They should not be just a list of duties and responsibilities. Did your project reduce time to market for new products, increase sales or reduce costs? Did you shorten the cycle time of a key process? Did you improve quality by reducing the % of bugs? Did you successfully overcome the challenge of a large or geographically dispersed user base? How many? Where? Did you come in under budget or time? By how much? If you have quantified numbers or facts then include them.
Above all, be accurate and honest.
No 5. Practice interviewing. The resume may get you the interview, but the interview will get you the job. Think of your tough questions and make sure you have the answers. Have you researched the company and can you articulate what appeals to you about working there? Think about your particular skills and experiences that add value to the job you are interviewing for. Are you ready to be clear and coherent? Be careful not to ramble when answering questions. You can always ask the interviewer if he or she would like more clarification on an answer. Practice your interview with a friend or colleague beforehand.
Dress appropriately. Check the logistics of where you are going for the interview. Do you know where the company is? If it is on a large company campus do you know which building you are going to? Consider driving the route the day before. You can confirm exactly where you are going and also see if there are road works or delays on the route.
At ValTech Recruiting we look hard at our candidates resumes and work with them to revise them where necessary. We also practice and coach on all aspects of interviewing, including the interview checklist. Contact us if you would like to know more.
