Job Seeker Tips and Techniques to Get You a Job Faster

February 17, 2022

Finding a new job may be difficult and stressful unless you are one of the fortunate few who work in a high-demand profession. According to Glassdoor, each corporate job posting generates an average of 250 resumes. A company will then interview four to six qualified applicants, with just one being hired.

To be successful in your job search, you must adopt specific tactics to ensure that you stand out to potential employers. You can make the job hunt a little easier on yourself if you utilize proactive techniques for finding a new job.

 Ideas for finding a new job covered in this article are applicable to all job searchers, from recent graduates to seasoned candidates who need a fast refresher. We will answer your questions and provide you with job seeker tips to help you secure and ace your ideal job interview.

 Customize Your Resume

 Despite the fact that certain online portals like Quadrant have made it easier than ever for job searchers to apply for employment, tailoring your CV to each vacancy remains a great practice.

Fortunately, you don't have to start from scratch every time you apply for a new job. Here are four strategies to help you impress a potential employer:

Resume
  1. Personalize your title
    Many professionals may include an objective section at the beginning of their resume, but it is now standard practice to begin your resume with a title and summary of qualifications that represent your areas of expertise in some way
  2. Create a qualifications summary
    Include a quick description of qualifications underneath your title, which may be readily modified by incorporating important terms and phrases from the job offer. If there is a specific qualification or duty specified in the job description that you are interested in, be sure to include it. 
  3. Match job description keywords
    Once you have compiled a list of relevant terms, extract these and other keywords from the job description and add them to a fresh version of your resume. 
  4. Clean up your resume
    If your goal is to showcase the career changes and achievements on your resume that are most relevant to the role you are looking for, it’s best to minimize or eliminate outdated positions that may be irrelevant to the intended role. 

 Create a Cover Letter

While cover letters aren't always necessary, many hiring managers use them to assess an applicant's abilities, experience, and history in connection to the post. When it is optional, providing a cover letter is a terrific approach to demonstrate to the company that you are truly interested in the position. Here are five ways you can create a cover letter that gets you hired.

  1. Header
    As with any traditional business letter header, include a few pieces of role-specific and personalized information at the beginning of the cover letter. This section should include the date of application, your contact information, and the beneficiary's contact information.
  2. Greeting
    Try to locate the person who will be examining job applications. When greeting your recipient, use a standard business greeting such as "Hello" or "Dear". If you can't locate the preferred gender pronouns (she/her, he/him, them/they), employ a gender-neutral welcome, such as "Dear [first or last name]".
  3.  Introductory paragraph
    In the first paragraph of your letter, mention the job title for which you're applying and where you saw the job post. Explain why you're interested in the role and the firm so the employer or hiring manager knows you've done your research and are eager about the opportunity. Briefly outline your key experience or expertise that qualifies you for the position.
  4. Second paragraph
    Your second paragraph should be a brief explanation of your relevant experience for the post. Include in this part any specialties, essential accomplishments, or talents that make you uniquely suitable for the post. Focus on one or two and offer information about your accomplishment, including quantifiable advantages.
  5. Summarizing paragraph
    The next paragraph should emphasize another important achievement or talent relevant to the position. Rather than reiterating material from your CV, concentrate on personal experiences or tales that indicate your aptitude for the role. Concentrate on stories that demonstrate the qualities and competencies specified in the position description.

 Research the Company

Job research

While researching the firm for each post you apply for can be time-consuming, there are a few methods you can employ to help you stand out. Not only will your application be more personalized, but you'll also have more topics to discuss during an interview, ensuring that it's somewhere you genuinely want to work. Here are our three top ideas for researching a firm before applying:

  • Visit the company's website
    This is a helpful step to learn more about the company, what they do, how they operate, and what roles need to be fulfilled.
  • Determine who their competitors are
    Assess the company’s competitors, understand their value propositions, and discover how they differ from the organization to which you are applying.
  • Make use of LinkedIn
    Visit the company on LinkedIn, and examine the profile until you have a sense of who they prefer to hire. Take note of their past and try to get a sense of the company culture.

 Prepare Topics to Ask During the Interview

If you don't prepare good interview questions, the hiring manager may assume you're not interested or haven't prepared. Typically, you will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview. You must prepare at least two questions that reflect your interest in the position, your desire to thrive in the role, along with highlighting that you’ve researched the position ahead of time. Here are some examples of good interview questions:

  • Can you tell me more about the day-to-day duties of this position?
  • Where do you see the firm going in the next five years?
  • Can you characterize the organization's working culture?
  • Could you tell me more about the team I would be joining?
  • In the first three months, how could I possibly impress you?

 Be Ready to Answer Questions

Being prepared to respond well to frequent interview questions is one of the most important components of interview preparation. Here are the five most common questions that interviewers ask, as well as example responses and advice including how to ace your interview.

  1. Tell me about yourself?
    Prepare to tell the interviewer about yourself, your employment background and why you’re suited for the role. 
  2. How has your previous experience prepared you for this position
    Hiring managers use this question to determine how your past work experience and educational background are relevant to the position. To prepare for your response, develop a list of your most relevant qualifications and compare them to the job description's criteria.
  3. What is your most powerful attribute?
    This is one of the items that employers almost always ask to determine your ability. Whenever questioned concerning your greatest strengths, it's vital to highlight the qualities that qualify you for the role and place you above other candidates.
  4. What would your current or former manager say is your greatest weakness?
    Normally, this question is framed through asking about your perspective regarding your weaknesses, but more recently, employers have been asking this way to seek a more honest answer from candidates.
  5. What type of compensation are you seeking?
    Salary-related questions are often difficult to answer. You don't want to get priced out of a job opportunity or undersell yourself. Employers are not allowed to question you about your salary history in some states, but they can ask how much you expect to be paid.
  6.  How do you respond under pressure or stress?
    Stress is a given in almost any industry, and many employers want to be assured that you can handle yourself in these situations. Use this question as an opportunity to demonstrate your critical thinking skills while referencing examples about how you have handled stressful situations in prior jobs.

Summary

Job searching is more than browsing for available positions and forwarding your resume to prospective employers. You also have to demonstrate that you are a good match for the role, that you can capture the attention of the hiring manager, and that you are well-prepared to answer interview questions.

We hope you found this job seeker advice helpful. We'd love to learn what changes you're planning to make in your job hunt as a result of reading this post. In case you’re looking for a job, our team at Quadrant is ready to walk the journey with you. You can check out our job listings today.