In every stage of any company it comes the time where the company needs to recruit more work force and anyone working in human resources knows it’s not an easy task to process the candidates, interview and finally employ the most suitable candidate for a job.
In last couple of months I’ve decided to take on this role and find the most suitable candidate for various positions at Royal Web agency and started to evaluate the job posting websites and even traditional methods like the ad section of the newspaper.
In terms of comparison between modern and traditional methods, job listing services and website usually has a large list of the candidates categorized by their education, skills and other parameters and these candidates mostly familiar with the technology and using mobile devices. However, majority of the candidates using traditional methods like newspaper are lower class of candidates where they may not be familiar with the job market or positions which requires higher skills and requirements.
After spending couple of weeks and experimenting with the different approaches using the modern and traditional methods, I’ve came to a conclusion that the most of people looking for jobs do not spend enough time preparing for the job opportunities and present themselves in the right manner. The following is what I’ve found is lacking in the candidates and how they can improve their approach to fix these issues and finally land them better opportunities and most importantly a job.
Resume
The first step to get a job in any industry is to prepare and write a curriculum vita or the resume. Unfortunately some wrongly believe that the resume is the complete list of everything about your personality and whatever you have done in your whole life. Well it’s wrong. The resume most be relative to the job and the candidate must only list the education, certificates, skills and everything related to the job they are applying. For example, if you are applying for a marketing job, you should only mention your education in marketing and related fields and list the companies and work experiences you have done related to marketing. Writing about your experience as a football player is definitely irrelevant to the job you are applying and it would only has negative effect on your success chance of getting the job.
If you have hobbies like playing football, you always can mention those activities as hobbies and interests shortly in the end of your resume. The interest section of your resume is just to show the employers your interests and the activities you would like to do in your own free time.
It’s very common for the candidates to lie on their resumes and exaggerate on the facts and their experiences. Most of the people who are working in the human resources and high executives can spot these lies in the candidates resume easily and it would dramatically drop the candidates’ chance of getting the job.
The best way to write a resume is to only list the relevant education, skills and experiences. Use a clean design for your resume and choose a readable and formal font for your document. Please avoid using colors and graphical objects in your resume unless you are applying for a graphic design job and you are required to include some of your works and portfolio.
It’s best not to include your personal information like your address, social security number and other sensitive and confidential information. In the last blog post I’ve wrote about personal cyber security and why you should not intentionally share your personal information with other people and even companies. If the companies require to know more about you like your home address and social security number, they would definitely contact you and ask for those information.
You must remember that your resume is a representation of you on the paper and you should only mention the facts that would help you to get you the job.
Appointment
The interview appointments often come in different types and conducted using different methods. Some companies conduct the interview over the phone or Skype and if the candidate is up to the standards and meet the basic job requirements, then they will invite the candidate for the face to face meeting. Some jobs require technical interview or exam before they can proceed with the actual interview. So if you are applying for any technical jobs, you must be prepared to take an exam or a test to show your technical knowledge.
Some companies they will only make appointment with the candidates and invite them for the face to face interview and evaluate the candidates based on their resume and their attitude and appearance.
It’s very important to be punctual for your interview appointment and always show up early to avoid any unpredicted traffic or circumstances. During the interview and conversation with the interviewer, always be polite and try your best not to interrupt. If the interviewer is friendly and casual with you and you do not have enough experience, make sure you reply back in formal and polite way to not cause any mistake that would cost you a job.
In the end of the interview, you can ask any questions you have about the company, the job and the responsibilities. Most of the time the employers are looking forward to find out if you care about the company and the job. Lastly, make sure you thank the interviewer for the time and politely say goodbye and leave the room.
Follow up
One of the most used quotes by the human resources and the employers is “we will get back to you†or similar replies when you want to follow up with your interview. The best way to approach and following up, is to send an email and thank the interviewer and politely ask if they have come to conclusion about the recruitment and you can always send some extra information or details on how you can fit into the company and contribute to the company vision or the team.
The process of the recruitment often take a long time to complete and often takes from couple of days to couple of weeks. If you are the right fit for the job, usually the company will get back to you after a week or two. If you were not selected for the position, you don’t have to be worry as most of the companies and the recruiters keep the reserve list of the candidates in case they cannot secure a contract with their ideal candidate.
