WiPjobs’s Team

Writer @ WiPjobs Recruitment

1. Make sure you apply for a position you can picture yourself doing.

Before applying for a position, ask yourself what your personality is and what you want to do. For instance, if you are an introvert, probably it will be difficult for you to work as sales and call 20 people in an hour to offer them your product. If you are adventurous, maybe you don’t want to enter data into the system 8 hours per day.

We don’t necessarily need to do our dream job from the beginning but that doesn’t mean we should go for a position that causes a lot of stress because it doesn’t match our natural personality at all.

2. Do not apply for positions you do not match.

If you don’t match the position requirements, you are wasting your time and time of the company recruiters. They will not call you. For example, if a position requires knowledge of German and the only words you know is “Danke”…. you should not apply for the position.

Yet, if a position requires 3 years experience in the accounting industry and you have so far worked 3 months in a bar during summer… you should not apply.

Last but not least, remember that if you apply for a position you don‘t have skills for, a recruiter will always question your ability to read and process data.

3. Social Media Presence.

Nowadays the presence in the right social network may be the key for your future success in the job market. A lot of recruitment companies are now using many of those tools in order to find talents. Therefore being present on the right social media channel could literally change your life.

Sign up for LinkedIn and local professional social media like Goldenline in Poland, Xing in German speaking countries or Viadeoin France. Fill in your profile as much as you can. Let everybody know about your experience, what you would like to do in the future, share your contact details for recruiters to be able to contact you easily. Connect with people you know and people that might be useful for you now or in the future. Grow your network and visit the sites regularly.

4. Use Keywords.

The Internet world is working with keyword and therefore also social media.

This means that we, as sourcers, are looking for suitable candidates by using keywords. The importance of having the right keyword or a group of keywords stated in your LinkedIn profile for instance, gives you more possibility to be found.

Also, I would like to provide you with a really good tip:

LinkedIn rank is working with keywords meaning that more keywords you have stated in your title, description and within all the profile itself,  bigger chance to be the first or on the first page of the results.

5. Could Facebook help me to find a job or to be found by recruiters?

The answer is simply YES!!

Recruiters are looking for candidates in the Facebook pool by advertising positions on related groups on Facebook. This means that if you are looking for a job, make sure you join groups that are relevant to your skills and to what you would like to do. Are you a German speaker? Join “Jobs with German”. Are you interested in Marketing? Join groups around the topic. Are you willing to relocate? Join “Jobs in Krakow”, “Jobs in Ireland”, etc.

6. What to keep in mind while creating your CV.

Include your contact details. You might say it is obvious but, trust me, there are many people who forget to include a phone number or email address.

You could have the greatest CV in the world but if there are no contact details then there will be no contact. Also, remember the country code!

Describe your experience in bullet points and avoid to include only the title of your position because it will say nothing about you. Yet, it is recommended not to include discriminatory or questionable data in your resume. This is because a recruiter or company could be influenced by this information. Although usually it should not happen in good companies, it’s just better to avoid to specify your religion, marital status, kids or ethnicity.

One of the most important things to avoid is sending a CV full of mistakes and bad formatting. It is simply unprofessional and will show you care too little to get the job.

Let’s say that some minor mistakes are allowed, like for instance if you forget a comma or small spelling mistakes, but if the CV is totally not understandable it will not be taken into consideration.

Also, try to use only one font and avoid to play too much with size and colours, otherwise, it will be more difficult to understand.

7. Preparing for an interview.

First of all, be there! And this means if you agree in an interview, make sure you attend it. If you can‘t be present, call to reschedule. If you are no longer interested in the position, let the contact person know. Respect the time of people involved.

Second, be on time! When coming to an interview, make sure you arrive on time. If you are coming to a completely unknown part of the city, rehearse the journey in advance or at least, print out a map not to get totally lost. Write down contact details and call in case you anticipate you will be late.

Yet, does not matter if the interview will be handled via phone or Skype, the interview has still the same value as an interview face to face. In that case, make sure you have either a good internet connection or a good signal reception. Also, always find a private space where you will not be distracted and, if a webcam is involved, remember to dress properly.

Being informed is also a must when you take part in an interview. You should know what the company business is and understand the job description and all the responsibilities. Therefore, it is useful to explore the company website or, if possible, to talk with someone who is already working for that company. Yet, be positive! No one likes losers so don’t pose yourself as one. If you come to the interview with the attitude that it is a waste of time because they will not employ you anyway then you will be most probably right. And never, never speak negatively about your previous employer, even if you have every right to do so, they will never offer you a job knowing you had trouble in the past. Always try to be diplomatic.

8. What you should definitely do to avoid getting a red tag!

Make sure you are reachable and responsive after having applied for a job offer. If a recruiter tries to reach you several times via email or via phone and you never get back to him/her you will be easily catalogued as a person who is impossible to reach and you will be probably discarded even from future processes.

Do not apply for every single position in one company, this will show you are not sure about what you want to do and the company will stop taking you seriously.

When you do not show up for an interview, which is considered impolite and immature, unless you have a very serious and sincere reason, you will not get another chance. It is almost always possible to call in advance and reschedule. And reasons like “a family member is in the hospital“, unfortunately, are not credible anymore as too many people use them to lie.

Last but not least, try always to make a good impression, even though you will be rejected from a recruitment process, in this way you will, at least, build a good reputation about yourself. You could be reconsidered in the future only thanks to the good behavior you showed at that time.

“I hope that all the above will help you to find the right place in the job market and you will be able to meet your goals!”