June 4th, 2018
Our attention spans have reduced severely over the last few years and could almost be measured in nano-seconds. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the world of recruiting. The process of landing a job is extremely competitive and with recruiters’ time so consumed by their day to day duties that come with their jobs, it’s so difficult to stand out from the crowd and catch their attention. First impressions are of course vital and the importance of a profile or CV that encapsulates you in a nutshell but in an effective manner could be the deciding factor to whether you land an interview or the job itself.
So how can you sell yourself effectively on any platform to recruiters or prospective employers?
Be concise
We all aim to be unique in the way we project ourselves to the world. But when advocating your originality, it’s important not to get carried away in your own self-promotion. Be clear and concise in who you are, what you do and everything about you. There is always room to elevate these points but don’t do it to a level where it becomes waffle and hyperbole. For instance, a “Business Analyst with over 10 years experience delivering successful projects for a number of global clients” is a good, clear and effective opening statement. It draws specifically on your job title and your length and level of experience. It’s just enough to peak a recruiter’s interest for them to find out more about you but not too corny and sales-ey that will make them immediately be put off by you.
Core offerings
When recruiters list jobs, key skills are normally used as an effective way to differentiate candidates. Basically, who’s got the goods they want and who hasn’t? For most occasions, these positions will require these skills to be at an advanced level and not something a candidate has merely dabbled in.
It’s important to take this into consideration when advertising your services. Ensure you list your core offerings as a candidate. These are skills that you are a master in, as opposed to a jack. A recruiter or employer would rather know from an early stage whether or not a certain skill they require is something you are adept in or not so they know whether or not your application has legs.
And remember if you’re lacking in a certain core skill, there’s nothing stopping you from acquiring it as one!
Don’t get too specific
Through any application process, recruiters will be looking closely at all the details and will gather what they specifically need to know from your application. In respect to this, it’s important to be clear and not too broad when outlining your experience, skills, and achievements, but equally important to not be too specific either.
For instance, if you were a contractor working for one company but contracted over a long period of time on a consistent basis but working on different projects and in different roles, try to reflect this in a concise and condensed way that doesn’t overflow with detail and won’t bore a recruiter. Highlight what you think are important details that will jump out as key points. Remember you can elaborate in more detail on certain points when interviewed, and this will be a chance to sell your self further.
Keep it relevant and current
We’ve all heard the cardinal 2-page rule of CV’s. Where that might seem impossible to some, the logic behind it is quite understandable in recruitment. Any job you apply for has its own unique requirements but also requirements set by today’s modern standards. Whether your career is 10, 20 or more years long, go through it carefully and consider what periods of your employment history are most relevant in respect to the role you’re interested in. Would a recruiter really see a position you held 25 years ago as relevant to the role? It’s important to ensure when selling your work history, you keep it current, relevant and tailored to your intended audience. Previous roles that do not hold significance to a prospective job can be advertised, but don’t need to include that much detail.
Written by Chris from iContract