Recruitment

Job hunting tips – we call it ‘job hunting’ for good reason

By Nick Smith, 360 Search Ltd

As the job market continues to tighten, you should tighten up your approach to your search and identify the cleanest path to uncovering the best roles. Get your nose ahead of your increasing competition for quality vacancies.

For most jobseekers the internet is, of course, a central component of their search. However, it should not be relied on as the only means of research in order to uncover those often hidden opportunities. Network, talk to consultants, colleagues, ex-employers and associates. More often than you may realise, job vacancies are not advertised at all. A lot of advertisements on the internet are out of date, vague and not genuine.

Throwing a stick of dynamite in the river will probably net you that prize fish, but what about the collateral damage? Particularly right now, when employers have a wider choice of applicants, it is more important than ever to be a discerning jobseeker, as opposed to a serial blaster of your resume.

Lazy or thoughtless and inefficient job hunting won’t land you that trophy career opportunity – particularly in an increasing unemployment market. Here are some tips on how you can ensure that your time is best used and your chances of being selected for interview are increased. Firstly you must identify genuine roles in the oceans of information out there. This is a successful recruitment consultant’s bread and butter, so if dealing with a recruitment consultant ensure that they are the best in your sector.

Ready
Avoid generic job ads and sending your resume to jobs that are listed with multiple agencies. This is a sign that the company’s recruitment process is messy, which is normally indicative of what you can expect from the selection process and the employment environment

A generic job ad is one that reads something like, “we are always looking for quantity surveyors”. Though this may be the case, chances are they don’t have an immediate need and are likely doing a bit of fishing and just seeing what is out there. There is no harm in applying for these job ads. However, your time would be better spent on applying for current and specific jobs with employers that exist now, rather than a job that may or may not eventuate

Avoid recruitment companies who blanket blast jobsites. They do this to give you the impression that they have every position in the sector listed and to cover off as much advertising space as possible to close out other advertisers from your view. It’s a means of using buying power as a tool to attract as many candidates as possible for them to market to the masses. These consultants (I use the term loosely) work in boiler room type, outbound call centre sales environments and are the scourge of the recruitment industry

Talk to colleagues about where they get their employment advice and get referrals from people who have had good experiences with certain recruiters. Picking up the phone before you apply for a job and finding out a bit more about it with some straight forward questions will avoid wasting your time.

Aim
Look carefully at the details of the job. The best job postings are rich in information. They include specific information about the organisation, the opening and the way you will be treated should you choose to apply. You, in turn, can use these details to assess your fit with both the position and the organisation. What information do you want to see? You should ideally be able to determine whether the job is for you or not purely based on the advertisement

Email is often viewed as an informal communication medium where informalities, slang, and typos are generally accepted. When you’re looking for a job, however, email is a business communication. Every communication makes an impression on the recruiter and other representatives of the employer who receive it. That impression becomes a part of the information used to evaluate you

Tailor your application rather than sending a generic cover letter and resume. It shows that you are selective in your campaign rather than applying carelessly to any role that you think is worth a crack.

Apply
Time to prepare for the interview – good luck!!

For further information contact: Nick Smith, Tel: 09 523 4360