We all know that how frustrating it is to wait for an interview call where you applied and yet to hear them back.This will be more frustrating when you loved the role and the organization, but your profile is not been shortlisted for interview. Our guide 10 ways to improve your job search and getting selected will help to improve your chance of hiring many fold
Before getting into job market one has to understand different element and the process how a recruitment happens in an organization. If you understand the process and the maturity level of the system you would be better prepared. Normally a job application goes through couple of people before you get a interview call.
- Resume screening : This work is normally handled by automated system or less experienced entry level recruitment person for generic roles
- Recruiting team scan through your profile: Here filter happens by a person who is experienced in recruiting they will scan through your resume less than 10 to 15 second and decided your fate.
- Hiring manager review : Again they will spend couple of minutes on your profile and ask for a interview schedule if they see what they are looking for in your profile.
If your resume passes through these initial gates then you have a fair chance to present your case and get selected. These steps may vary from company to company and varies for different role hired in general this is how it works.
Things to keep in mind while you are in search of job
- There is no perfect job as such, don’t look for it
- Temporary Jobs are not bad
- Rejection is part of the game, learn to live with it
- Strengthen your network it helps
- Many organization has referral program look for one
- Do your homework and give the best
- Learn from mistakes and build on
There are many reasons why you have not been selected for interview. It practically impossible to list all the reason why your profile is not been selected however here is list which will help you zero down the causes of not been called for interview and prepare yourself and improve your chance of getting hired.
Application is Incomplete (shows your focus)
When you are applying for job you need to take utmost care and double check all the required information has been provided in the format employer is asking for. Remember the resume is scanned for less than a 5 second to shortlist. If your resume is not complete it gets rejected no matter how perfectly qualified your are for the job. Always double check once you filled application form before submitting, or ask your friend to do the same , so there is a check and balance.
Spelling error on the resume (Shows your negligence)
You cannot afford to have spelling mistakes on your resume or cover letter. It reflects very bad on you and shows how negligent you are. Resume actuality reflect lot than what you have written there on the resume, it is a index of your personality and professional behavior. Solution: read couple of time, and fix, if you create your profile in MS world it will do the job for you, grammatical error needs to be taken care by you.
Automated screening
Today most of the organization who are frequently hiring uses roles automated system which will screen resume and shortlist for the specific skills. These systems are design to search for certain education criteria and experience and keywords in your resume. If the system finds your profile do not match the input requirement it’s highly likely to get rejected. Here system picks for some key words and expertise. So highlight your strengths in bold and match your resume with required skill sets what they are looking for. Tweaking your resume according to the needs is very important to get shortlisted by screening system.
You are overqualified to the job applied
This happens in most of the cases in India, Most often we think higher qualification is better than just meeting the bare minimum, we tend to take pride in adding all our post graduation details. Actually employer looks for your stability and long term relationship with organization. When you are more qualified than required your expectation would be more (at least they perceive you like that) and you would be looking out for change. It’s also true to certain extent if you are engineering graduate and expert in technology but the opening is for data entry would not interest you for long. So better you tweak your resume according to needs of the role and hide extra degree you acquired if not required. Before that please make up your mind if you really want to work which is not your area of intrest.
You are not qualified
This is simple and straight forward, every job will have a certain responsibility to carry out. Based on the responsibility job roles and entry criteria is defined. If you do not meet the basic education entry criteria you should not be applying for. In case if you have applied do not expect them to call you for interview.
No Relevant Experience
Relevant experience in job market has more weight than any other qualification. Even if you do not have a great education but has a good experience in the field there is good chance you get selected for interview. Employers look for experience candidates as there will be less time taken to learn things and reduced learning curve and improves bottom line. Highlight your experience how it is related to similar job you have done in the past. Showcase your achievement effectively in the form of covering letter why you think you should be the best fit.
Frequent Job Change
This is one of the main area where in the past you have changed too many organization very frequently. Though average stay of an employee in CEO role is coming down to 3 to 5 years in the recent days, people expect you to be consistent and stay for a reasonable time. Too frequent job hoping gives some indication about your ability to adopt things and not flexible enough to changes which is bad for organization. Give valid reason for changing jobs too frequently, reasons like organization got sold, or closed down or moved to head office etc which is more practical and realistic in nature, other than that you can little here in this stage.
Your resume is not convincing your fitment:
Your resume is the first representative reaches prospective employer and speak lot about you and your past achievements. If you are not able to project clearly or you have not put a compelling case of your best fitment employer is not likely choose you. So ensure you have a compelling resume with a great covering letter which should convince any interviewer to choose you
Gaps are not explained
Today job environment is so dynamic and fragile at times you will have some gaps in your career. Having gaps is no crime but you should be able to explain the gaps with valid reason. Do not hide or fudge resume which will not work anymore and it will create more problems in future.
Your Online Social Credibility is not good
Your online image is as important is offline to get a better job. Today most employers check your face book and other social profile before you are called for interview. Your online activities talks volumes about you and your personality. So keep your profile and activity clean, it will help you build a positive image as well as great career prospects
Conclusion
Job searching and getting a your dream job is not less than winning a marathon. This involves many factors which may or may not in your control. Research shows the people who worked on these elements have more chance than others who do not. Most of the above mentioned points are addressable with little behavioral change and focus.
The key to success in a job is enhancing your soft skill as well as hard skill beyond expected level. Minimum of 6 to 9 month preparation is needed to get a good job, don’t focus on money first focus on career and experience. good Luck!.
Keep tuning we are coming up with many more interview and job tips in this career guide section
Also Read on : Skills required to grow fast in IT environment
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