How to Excel in the Job Search
Firstly, it is important to identify what you are looking for in your next career move, look up several job titles that you are interested in and uncover what the Job Descriptions are looking for in their duties/responsibilities and requirements.
Is this a role that you could see your future self in? Try to match the duties and responsibilities to any that you have completed previously and include this in the first few bullet points.
The more you look over the Job Descriptions, the more you can see what type of roles you're interested in and what they're looking for, you can complete LinkedIn courses on certain elements to upskill if you find that particular job descriptions mention specific skills repeatedly.
The key to the Job Search is to match the Job Description as closely as possible to your own previous experience or academic background.
Any duties or responsibilities that you completed in your previous role that are relevant to the role you’re applying for, should be clear, concise, and should be the first points used in your CV.
You should have your most recent role at the start of your CV with dates and the other roles should be listed in order of time worked there.
Including the results from university is a good idea (especially if you have received a 2.1 or higher and received a high grade within FYP or Thesis).
If the role requires a Cover Letter, this usually gives you a chance to provide more detail on these points and flesh it out as well as including what you’d like to learn (the points on the Job Description that you might not have previously completed but show your enthusiasm to learn).
The Cover Letter also gives you a chance to show the research you have conducted about the company at hand and why you have a keen interest in this particular company.
Include your CV on LinkedIn.
Include your day-to-day tasks as well as duties and responsibilities in bullet points in the job description section of your LinkedIn. LinkedIn is like your virtual CV.
Make sure to include keywords (you will find these through filtering through the Job Descriptions that you are most interested in - notice words that come up a lot within the Job Descriptions). Keywords are essential and will give you a better chance of appearing in a recruiter search.
Print off a few Job Descriptions that look of interest to you and highlight the points you have covered before and then within your CV try to match up as closely as possible and have those points at the start.
Skills that are transferable are always a huge plus; Communication, Teamwork, Analytical, Problem-Solving, have examples of how you have improved these skills in previous roles whether in University or in a work environment.
Include Accomplishments, having figures or clear examples is a huge advantage. An example: Helped to integrate a new CRM system from scratch which helped to save x amount of time and money, Exceeded Annual Target by x amount.
Showing that you are comfortable working with a high-volume workload is always a huge (for example, processed 1000 Payroll Monthly or Processing 400+ Invoices weekly), showcase your work.
You can even use examples of how many approximate queries you’d deal with daily whether it’s with clients or customers.
The best advice would be to adjust your CV as best you can to the job description at hand, putting the most relevant points/experience first that match the duties and responsibilities. Having your achievements listed clearly is always a huge advantage as you’re trying to get your CV to stand out from all the other CVs hiring managers receive.
Having your CV clear and concise with only relevant information is key- two pages CV should be maximum.
Upskilling on your own initiative will help you to stand out from the crowd. There are several free courses on LinkedIn that can help you to brush up on key skills required!
It is helpful working closely with Recruitment Consultants, as they will have additional information on the company, and act as a guiding mentor throughout the recruitment process.
