Do you suffer from unproductive job search? Has your job hunting been ineffective and consequently ineffective? Those of us in the recruitment and selection profession have long realized that job seeking is a process and it should be treated as such. Most job hunters do not realize this and therefore have continued to search unsuccessfully for their dream job. Job hunting is supposed to assist you in identifying an ideal job. It however does not stop at that. You have to match your skills, abilities, experience and accomplishments with the ideal job and be invited for an interview to verify your claims to make the search complete. That is where the resume comes in. Without the CV, the hiring manager will never know the skills, abilities, experience and accomplishments you possess. Without it the recruiter will never know that your attributes matches the requirements of the job on offer and therefore fit for selection for interview. Our objective here in this article is to highlight the process of using the curriculum vitae to lessen the period of job hunting by fast tracking interview invitation.
Mike and Derek were course mates. They both studied mechanical engineering and graduated at the same time. After graduation job searching was next. While Mike had the privilege of being the son of a HR Manager in a high brow organization, Derek did not. Mike's father was able to educate his son on the process of shortening his job search and consequently fast tracking his employ-ability. He told the son the essence of the resume and the benefits of crafting one that is attention grabbing to the hiring manager. Mike consequently learned art of crafting a professional CV that could not be ignored by any recruiter. While Mike was able to know that different curriculum vitae should be written for each job on offer, Derek who was not so privileged with such information wrote only one which is generic and he usually forward for different jobs on offer. While Mike was able to know the relevant information the CV should contain, Derek did not. While Mike was able to identify from start the mistakes a job seeker could make when writing his resume Derek did not. Of course when it came to being invited for interviews which is crucial in the process of job search, Mike was almost always successful while Derek was not. Therefore Mike was always successful in his job search.
What are those steps Mike took to be so successful? What therefore are those steps you as a job hunter need to take in the process of job search to make invitation for interview faster and easier so that employment which is the ultimate goal of job hunting will be realized. As an experienced recruiter versed in the area of sourcing talents the following steps need to be taken:
1. Personal assessment/audit:Megan Pittsley it was who said "If you can't communicate and prove your value, no one will see your value." The key to a successful job search therefore is being able to identify what makes you the job hunter unique from the crowd and being able to communicate these to a potential employer. If you cannot therefore communicate to the recruiter why you are the best for a job on offer, how do you get employed for the job? You therefore need to communicate both verbally and in writing to the employer why you are the best for the job on offer. The first step will therefore be through personal awareness which is done through assessment and audit of self. You will need to identify your interests, passions, skills, goals, values, objectives, experiences and accomplishments and communicate these to the potential employer.
2. Identification of matching job offer: The next step in the process of job search is the identification of matching job offers and uncovering of opportunities. If you qualified as an Accountant, you will not apply for a job as HR personnel since you do not have the knowledge. You will only apply for vacancies that fit your qualification and knowledge. You should only look for jobs that matches you passion, interests, skills, experience, values, goals and accomplishments. One effective way of identifying opportunities is through the use of search engines to locate job openings. Such online tools include use of LinkedIn.com, VisualCV.com, Plaxo.com, Jobster.com, Myworkster.com, Jobfox.com, Jobberman.com etc. Another way of uncovering opportunities is through networking with fellow professionals and friends. Through these people one will get to learn about opportunities when they are available. Job seekers also need to horn their relationships with Alumni associations and also should endeavor to attend their professional association meetings. Opportunities are often discussed at such places and it is only those that attend that get to learn about them. Opportunities could also be through newspaper adverts.
3. Crafting of a customized and fitting resume: Once you have been able to identify your marketable skills and attributes, the next step in the quest for an effective job search is the writing of professional resume or CV. One that is attention grabbing and the hiring manager will find difficult to ignore. You see, your curriculum vitae are your advert copy. It is supposed to market you the job hunter to a potential employer so that he will be able to pick you out of the crowd and identify you as the most suitable for the job on offer. To be effective it must be customized for each job on offer. To be effective the information must be relevant. To be effective it must be properly structured and concise. To be effective, the words and phrases used must be catchy. To be effective the information therein must be reliable. You should therefore endeavor to customize the CV you will distribute and not use a generic one. After crafting your attention grabbing resume, you need to submit to prospective employers to actually realize the purpose for which it was crafted which is invitation for interview. You should submit to the opportunities so identified earlier to make your job hunt complete. This will however be accompanied with the relevant cover letter.
4. Follow Up: Submission of resume alone does not however signify that you will be invited for an interview. You will still do a follow up on the CV you have submitted and will have to be creative about this. You need to know how well your resume is doing. Do so subtly. Also all those who might have offered assistance to you in your job hunt needs to be appreciated. You will have to send thank you letters to them and also endeavor to keep them abreast of your progress. Further, never expect that you will be the only one gunning for the job on offer. Therefore, you should expect competition from other job seekers. You should endeavor to impress prospective employers during all appointments with your dressing and communication skills.
From the foregoing, it is evident that job hunting is serious business. It is a business that might affect your life. Crafting an appealing resume which the hiring manager cannot ignore and will consequently convince him to invite you for an interview can therefore not be over emphasized. Writing and submitting an attention grabbing CV relevant to a job on offer will definitely enhance and hasten your invitation for an interview, Further, your appealing CV which is also your advert copy increases your marketability because it focuses on results rather than responsibilities. Crafting and submitting appealing curriculum vitae to hiring managers is also known to increase job seeking effectiveness by ensuring that there is compatibility with potential employer's tracking system. Finally, crafting an attention grabbing resume improves personal confidence and interview preparedness by helping to reveal those attributes and accomplishments you might have forgotten to communicate more forcefully in the course of interview.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com/7257026