By There has been continuous decline in the job market because of the slowdown. Organizations at this time are hiring only selective individuals or professionals who are skilled and exceptional. Below are some of the things a professional should take care of while searching for a job or a job change.
Create you resume professionally
Create your resume based on the job description as given in the advertisement. Create the resume well and look at the resume with the perspective of a potential employer. Try to keep the resume short but effective, because at the end of the day, it is not the length of the content, but the depth of it, that will make the difference. If needed, you may take the help of some professional resume creator service or a placement consultant which provides such a service.
Research and Analyze
Analyze the job ads and identify the skills that are hot in the market. If the technical skills that are listed are the skills you posses, then your chances for getting shortlisted are increased. Search for the job openings that match the skills you have so you can better represent yourself in interviews confidently. It is always best to stay updated with the current technology.
Groom your Soft Skills
You are not the only one who would be shortlisted for an interview. There would be others too, and a few would probably be more experienced and skilled too. Having superior and impressive soft skills might be the one thing that can make the difference. Individuals who are more confident, articulate and team players hold better chances of getting selected. Work on your communication skills and other soft skills to make an impression.
Be ‘Visible’
Try to be an opportunist. Never give away any opportunity that might put you in front of the decision makers in your company. Socialize with them at forums, seminars, alumni events or even just at the office cafeteria but, this doesn’t mean stalk them at any opportunity you get. Don’t be too obvious, make it a coincidence.
Update your LinkedIn Profile
For last few years, LinkedIn has become a search destination for headhunters. So, keep your LinkedIn profile optimized and updated. You never know, who is looking at your profile at a given moment.
Build your online image
Publishing impressive articles at various sites, writing blogs and engaging in discussions at various discussion boards or forums could really build your online image. A lot of successful professionals are running their own personal blogs which are among the best traffic attracting blogs. This builds your ‘Brand’ in the online community and adds to your credibility as a professional.
These all are but a few suggestions that can transform you from being an ‘eligible’ candidate to being the ‘perfect’ candidate. And considering, the current market status, it can land you the ‘dream’ job.
Wow…very nice. This is just perfect. Good to see such well directed and meaningful post. Keep them coming.
A perfect set of tips. I too would recommend job seekers to imbibe these into their resumes and professional careers. There was a time when I was also searching for job after college, and for almost year after finishing my engineering I couldn’t get a desired job and as 1 year passed, a fresh batch of engineers was ready to take my place, because it is common attitude of companies to shortlist the fresh passed outs. So, I had to compete harder.
A friend suggested to consult a recruitment agency,which gave me some of the above mentioned tips, Creating a professional and elegant resume was one of them. I updated my resume and worked upon my communication skills and after about 3 months I was back on track. Sat for 5 interview and got offers from 3 of them, one among which I accepted of course.
To some these tips might look like waste of time or even weird, but in my experience, I have seen that these are the things that create the difference between just an professional and a good professional.