The Job Market is Picking Up, Here’s How to Pitch Yourself In The New Market.
As the market slowly starts its upward swing and companies begin to hire again, I think it is time to shed our recession-induced “just gotta get by” mentality. The name of the game in hiring is still finding the best person for the job, and job seeker’s main focus should be the same! If both job seekers and recruiters are focused on finding their best fit, there’s going to be some AWESOME hiring going on! Here’s my theory: Find the BEST opportunities for what you have to offer and where you want to go; be thoughtful and selective in the job opportunities you consider, and companies WILL see how well you match their needs! I’ve got a few suggestions to help you down this path . . .
Do your research. If you see a job description and company that looks interesting, pull up their website. What does it say about their culture and goals? Google them. What is in the press? What are employees saying about working there? Information is KEY in figuring out if each opportunity is a good fit for you, and how well you will fit the opportunity.
Submit a resume that speaks to the job posting, corporate culture, etc. I realize that tailoring each resume you send out can be tedious; however if you’ve already done your research it should be relatively painless. And, I’ll let you in on a secret: When we’re writing a job description, the first skills/requirements listed are almost ALWAYS the most important skills to the job. I mention this because if we’re listing those skills first on our job description, shouldn’t you be placing those skills on the top of your resume? (I’m not suggesting any misrepresentation of your qualifications, just that you make it easy for us to see how you fit our needs).
The final opportunity to get the attention of recruiters is in a cover letter/email, so how can you catch our eye? Show us that you know who we are, what we do, and what our challenges are (psssttt . . . this leads nicely into commenting on specifically how you can fit our needs). It’s as simple as saying “I see from your job description that you’re in need of someone who can do xyz. While at Acme, I . . .” I am usually BLOWN AWAY when I realize a candidate has actually done research and put some thought into how they would fit within our organization, and it’s a great way to make yourself stand out as a candidate!
As a recruiter, one of the best moments of my day is when I run across THE resume. The resume where there are rays of sunlight shining on said resume as a choir of angels sings a beautiful chorus; the perfect candidate for my job. You want to be that candidate, and trust me when I say that I want you to be that candidate (because I LOVE those candidates!). It’s time to stop “just getting by” and start looking for and explaining why you are the perfect fit!