So, you are ready to try something new. Changing your job search strategy can be hard, because you have to change the way that you look at job hunting in general. Long gone are the day when you could send out resume after resume and hope for a call back. Employers have so many choices these days, they don't even have to read resumes and look for the best candidate. They can hire based on who impresses them the most, and if it doesn't work out, replacing them will be easy. It is a dog eat dog job market out there, and the best you can hope for is to try to be the bigger dog.
When you think about it, with a 10% unemployment rate, most of the applicants for any job opening in your field are going to be just like you. They send in resumes with cover letters and try to impress a boss with their professionalism. If they get called for an interview, they show up early, dressed professionally and try to impress the interviewer. They don't practice answering common interview questions and don't really have ready answers for questions like “Why should I hire you?”. It wasn't really necessary before, so they feel fairly confident that they will do alright in the interview. So, that's what the competition looks like. Now, what can you do to stand out?
Here is a guide to help you change your job search:
1- Resume Do-over- The first thing you need to do is scrap your resume. It is probably outdated anyway. Don't think of a resume as a document that records every job you ever had. A resume, these days at least, is a marketing tool. Let that sit for a minute. A marketing tool, not a rap sheet of previous jobs. When you want to apply for a job, you really only need to list your relevant job experience. When you are describing your previous job duties, this isn't a literal list of your duties. This is the place where you can take the keywords that the job ad used to describe the ideal candidate, and use your previous job experience to show that you have those qualities. For example, if the ad says “Looking for a motivated, team player”, in your description of previous job at Industry, Inc, you would want to say something like, “Was part of a team who increased production by 20%”. Don't lie, of course, but don't worry about promoting yourself, because if you don't, who will?
When you are listing your previous job experience, make sure that you work in each of the keywords that the advertisement uses. This is important for two reasons, the first being that showing the employer that you have the skills and traits they are looking for, rather than just telling them has much more impact. The second reason is that many companies are receiving so many resumes in digital format, it is very easy for them to just scan the files for selected keywords in an attempt to narrow down the number of applicants they actually look at. If you don't use the exact word, often your resume won't even be read. Scary, huh? “But, won't they miss out on some well qualified applicants?” you ask. Yes, they will. Do they care? Not too much. See, again we go back to the fact that they have many more applicants than they have positions, so sometimes they may miss a diamond in the rough, but they are more interested in hiring someone who is already shining. So, get out the polishing cloth and shine up your resume.
Stay tuned for Part III of Changing Your Job Search- Making Yourself A Must Hire, where I will share some tips for making yourself stand out online in your industry.
Are you looking for a new job in Manufacturing? Take a look at ManufacturingJobs.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!