Winning a position at a company or finding a new career role has never been more difficult. There are less long-term jobs available on the market as more companies lean towards hiring freelancers instead. While this does provide more ‘freedom’ it leaves people with a significant lack of career stability. There are also more people applying for the same positions. This is why on average it could take several months before you find a job in your chosen sector or industry. As such, it’s important to take steps to ensure that you have the best chance of winning a position. Here are some of the factors recruitment professionals recommend you consider.
Find Your USP
First, you should ensure that you are exploring your USP. Your unique selling point is what is going to separate you from other people exploring the same position. There are lots of examples of a USP that are worth considering. For instance, you might decide to focus on building up a lot of experience. Or, alternatively, you could think about ensuring that you have certain skills that will be valuable to an employer. This should have a presence on your resume too. That way, you can make sure that you grab the attention of an employer or a recruitment agent immediately without any issues or delays.
Gain More Qualifications
Next, it’s important to make sure that you are exploring getting the right qualifications. The best qualifications will put you in a far stronger position when applying for a job. A lot of people will be rejected simply because they did not have the right level of knowledge or experience. Qualifications are a great way to demonstrate that you have both. The required qualifications will always depend on the job you are pursuing. For instance, if you are interested in gaining a position managing in the sports industry, you should consider getting a bachelor of sports management. This will always impress potential employers in that particular sector.
Finetune Your CV
If you are looking to change your job then you will need to make sure your CV is in perfect working order. An ideal CV should be no more than two A4 pages in length. It should include all your recent jobs alongside any experience and qualifications you have undertaken. Employees are looking for the best of the best and you only have two pages to sell yourself. It would help to add a cover letter to your CV as this is more often than not the first thing that employees look at when assessing your application. If you are not too confident your CV is amazing then you can take it to a professional to have a read-over. There are also CV writers who could write your CV for you if you don’t have one already.
Body Language Counts
When you attend interviews, it isn’t just about the verbal language you are using, you will need to sell yourself through your body language as well. How you come across can either win or lose that job, you need to come across well in order to succeed. You can take a look online or have a chat with a body language expert about how to position yourself during an interview. You will more than likely be told to avoid crossing your arms and leaning too far forward or back.
The Right References
Something else to consider when applying for jobs is who will be your referee. You will normally need around two or three references, two will have to be professional and the last one a character reference. This means a close family member or friend is required to say what kind of person you are. Your professional references will have to come from previous employees, more than likely your most recent ones.
Research The Company
Finally, before you attend a job interview, you should make sure that you have completed enough research on the business in question. The aim here should be to have questions to ask at the end of the interview that show you have done the legwork and provide evidence of a strong level of interest. This is worth doing a few days before your interview is scheduled to ensure that you are fully prepared.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key points that you should consider when you pursue a new position on the market. In doing so, you can make sure that you don’t miss out on what could be a fantastic career opportunity for you.