The Job Search Hacks You Should Try

Today’s competitive job market is making it more challenging for candidates to stick out from the crowd with the desired skillsets and traits – individuals seeking career progression or a job change face the task of competing against a wide range of candidates with diverse expertise.

As the demand for specialized talent outweighs the supply in many industries, companies are also seeking to recruit candidates who show deep interest and enthusiastic mindset towards up-skilling and continuous learning at the workplace, meaning that talent acquisition is evolving to hire not solely based on skill, but also on attitude.

There are a number of ways through which candidates can leverage themselves to catch the eye of the recruiter at the opening stages of the recruitment process. Below, we take a look at a few.

Gaining an edge with Keywords

Today’s recruiters make use of specialized software to analyze and track candidate applications and cover letters – these software read through all the data sent by the candidate, highlighting pre-determined keywords which fit the vacancy in question. Such keywords would usually consist of the required skills, levels of experience and responsibilities for the role, and are monitored by recruiters to filter the right individuals more effectively. Such keywords tend to appear in the job description, so candidates are encouraged to read through and pin-point the words which seem of most importance to include them in their application, in a suitable and genuine manner, of course.

Tailor your CV and Cover Letter

Candidates should practice tailoring their CV and cover letter to help them stand out further – in relation to the previous point, keywords should be adapted to the job description, and this implies mentioning the skills which are suitable and relevant to the vacancy. Moreover, employers are quite able to realize when an application or cover letter has been made for generic, multiple use. Adding one’s own touch through relevant experiences and skills for the job helps for a more authentic application, one which displays personality and attitude.

Stay on point on LinkedIn

Maintaining a LinkedIn account is essential to gain recognition in today’s job market. Updating one’s account with work experiences and career milestones, as well as posting about interesting and relevant topics within your industry and beyond helps show that one is up-to-date and in the know. Individuals are also encouraged to use this platform as a way of documenting their career achievements by posting about them – this not only helps exposure to one’s network but essentially functions as a method of recording important career information which might be somewhat forgotten down the line.

Keep Networking

Attending talks, workshops and other industry-related meetups is a great way to meet and connect with link-minded individuals within your field. The key here is to gain exposure amongst individuals who understand what it is you do. Keeping a good impression going is an important aspect of maintaining an effective personal brand, and word of mouth is still a convincing and successful tool for getting the word across when looking for the right career progression.

Getting in touch with a Recruiter

Today’s dense job market demands a good eye which is able to easily distinguish between one role and the other, relevant to which candidate, how and why. High-quality recruiters, also referred to as search consultants, save candidates a great deal of time and effort by scanning the job market to find the right fit to meet both client and candidate requirements and expectations. This is done by sourcing suitable roles based on experience and skillsets to handpick the best talent for the job. The best consultants are always ready to discuss the candidate’s career prospects in terms of progression, salary and any other factor which is of interest to them. Such an approach is becoming highly favored by companies when seeking the right talent to fill or mitigate current skill gaps – an example of such could be when considering the job market in Malta, an island which is embracing the digital age by regulating Blockchain technology for multiple sectors. Such a move has increased demand for expertise in specialized areas of tech skill which is becoming more challenging to source. As a result, search consultants increase efficiency and productivity by sourcing the best candidate for the role, spearheading more jobs in Malta as a result of this.

Setting the right Salary Target

It is a good practice for candidates to evaluate how much they should be earning – this means that establishing a salary range for their work is an important step before the interview stages of the recruitment process. The candidate should firstly keep in mind that the salary bracket exists to inform the individual that salaries for the same role vary according to external factors such as company size and industry, as well as internal factors such as level of experience and level of expertise. Therefore, one must be open to negation and prepared to accept a salary within the range which seems suitable for the position in question.

The above points can help a candidate better prepare themselves for the upcoming recruitment process in a more confident manner by using all resources to their advantage and presenting themselves in a desirable way to catch the eye of the recruiter and employer.

Article writtne by Ens Mojica and originally published on thriveglobal.com