Landing that position in a tough job market

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of the business and time management book TimePeace: Making peace with time – and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  Stephen Wynkoop and I regularly meet on professional development topics. Our interviews can be found at Laura Rose Career Management Series

This week’s topic was “Advice for improving the odds of landing a position in a tough job market”

One of the best quotes to keep in mind is the “But what have you done for me lately”.  This is true in the job market.  Companies are in the business to make money.  If you can illustrate tangible evidence in both dollars and sense (common sense), how you have made money for your companies in the past and how you will do it in the future – you will stand out.

So – how do you do this when an employer has 600 resumes to review?

The first thing is to catch their attention upfront.  Acknowledge that they will probably only spend seconds on your resume.  If you don’t capture their attention in those first few seconds, your resume is tossed aside.  Therefore, highlight your professional skills that are directly relevant to the desired position right at the top of the resume; followed by the roles and positions that are significant to this current position.

Eliminate any tasks or duties that distract the reader from your applicable skill set. Don’t feel obligated to do a chronological or historically accurate list of all your employment.  Make sure you expand on the tasks that are in direct support to this new position.  Talk in dollars saved or made for the company.  Use numbers and percentages to illustrate how your contributions directly affected increased revenue or reduced costs.

Don’t be afraid to customize your resume to each application. Decades ago, we created one resume and sent 60 copies of the same resume out into the job market.  Today’s technology allows us to customize each resume to better fit and match the desired position.  Use the same terminology and descriptions in your resume as they posted in their job description. Using the same language allows your resume to pass through any automated resume scanner or filter.

 Include cover letters or hyperlinks in your online applications.  Many companies have online applications as their first-line screening.  One way to set you apart from the competition is to include a cover letter or a hyperlink to your YouTube video resume.  Many online applications will allow you to attach a resume and/or cover letter.  Take advantage of these attachments to show more of your individual and team contributor.

Set yourself apart by including YouTube, presentations, and article links. Go out of your way to illustrate your expertise.  With today’s technology, there is no limit to creating your own presentations, webinars, videos, articles, demos, prototypes or eBooks to tangibly show your skill set and expertise.

You have passed that gate and at the interview stage.  How do you continue to set yourself apart?

Much in the same way as you illustrated your value to the company in the resume; you continue to showcase any revenue generating scenarios in your interview.  Continue to highlight stories and examples of how your dedication and contributions affected the company’s bottom line.

 

Avoid highlighting the skills that you do not have. Even if you don’t have the exact requirements for this new job, you have worked in a similar environment, with a similar tool or have the appropriate transferable skills.  Highlight the skill set and experience that you do have and extrapolate how those skills and experience relate and support this new position.  Focus on the transferable skill set that will set you apart from the other candidates.

 

Conduct the interview as a conversation.  Don’t wait until the end of the interview to ask your questions.  Comment and query throughout the interview like a real conversation.  Learn as much about them as they are finding out about you.  This is a two way street.  Use your questions to illustrate that you have done your homework on their company and position.

 

Collect contact information.  One of the mistakes that people make is not to collect contact information from everyone they interviewed with.  Even if you are going through a recruiter, take it upon yourself to contact everyone that you interviewed with.  Although your recruiter is helpful in setting these meetings up – it’s to your advantage to take charge of the follow-up.  After all, your recruiter works for many job candidates.   YOU only have one job candidate to work for:  YOU.

 

Use your follow-up emails and thank you notes to close the skills gap. When you have identified a gap in your skill set during the interview, use the follow-up notes to close that gap.  For instance, if during the interview you realized that they are not only looking for someone with manual test experience, but with automated test experience (even though the original job description did not include it).  Take this opportunity to download one of the many free automated test tools and craft an automated test on their website or product.  Then include this update in your follow-up email to them.

 

Use the phone.  Many candidates will use email and thank you notes as a follow-up.  I agree with the thank you notes.  To set yourself apart, use the phone as well.

 

Add them to your Linkedin.com.  Stay on their radar.  Just because this position doesn’t pan out, make sure you are on their minds for the next opportunity.

 

What about college graduates?  How do they differentiate themselves?

 

As for college graduates, creating a portfolio of your transferable skills and illustrating how that will increase revenue or reduce costs will help.  A graduate that handled both school and the job market will outshine someone who just attended classes.  A graduate that received glowing recommendations from both the job market and professors will outshine one who doesn’t.  A graduate that has a portfolio of presentations, published articles, or a how-to video about that particular job role or industry will outshine one who doesn’t.  In today’s market, the average will not get noticed.   Decades ago, companies were willing to hire graduates with the knowledge that the candidate will not know much and there will be a long learning curve.   In today’s market, you need to show that you already have the talent and discipline for that particular job.  If more you can show that you will be able to hit the ground running (minimum learning curve and self-motivated), the better you will outshine those that don’t do that.  We are talking about tangible evidence (not just lip service).
In the IT Professional Development Toolkit, I go into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above. I also have a transferable skill worksheet.

 

Also following online courses:

12 Tips for Realistic Scheduling
10 Tips for Telecommuters
 10 Career Boosting Resolution Laser Lesson

10 Hidden Time Waster Laser Lesson

Get That Well-Deserved Raise Laser Lesson
Professional Development Toolkit
It’s a SNAP – Social Networking Accelerated Process for business networking

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/