Is your job-hunt taking a nosedive for the worse instead of comfortably cruising at high altitudes? Below are six sure-fire ways to inject some momentum into your job search activities and ensure success:-
Have an expert inspect your CV
If you have been sending out your CV for some time now with no success, chances are your CV needs some degree of work. It could be simply a matter of spelling , grammar or formatting or the fact that your CV is poorly tailored in terms of content for the kinds of jobs you are applying for. Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, has a dedicated CV Services division which specializes in reviewing and fine-tuning professional CVs or writing CVs from scratch. Taking the time to invest in your CV will reap tremendous benefits in the long run.
Supercharge your Cover Letter
Your cover letter is your introduction to yourself; make it simple, catchy and leave the employer hungry for more. Use your cover letter as an opportunity to show you understand the company’s needs and are uniquely positioned to meet them through your skills, credentials and experience. Make sure your cover letter is customized for the specific job at hand and is not addressed to a generic “To Whom it May Concern” with a vague, un-targeted objective and interests statement.
Beef up your Networking Activities
Sending out dozens of blind CV's while spread out on the couch at home watching your favorite soaps is very likely to be an exercise in futility. You need to augment your job search efforts with consistent and well-studied networking activities. Join professional associations, alumni clubs, community volunteering networks and other forums where you can meet like-minded individuals, research the market and get the word out that you are in the market for a better opportunity.
Post your CV online
In today’s networked world the opportunity cost of not having your CV online, regardless of your career level, is very high. In an online poll run by the Middle East’s #1 job site bayt.com, 23% of polled job seekers said they found their last job through an online job site. Make sure you chose a reputable job site that is specialized in the region you are targeting to ensure your CV is accessible to the majority of the blue chip employers in that specific region. Bayt.com for example is the Middle East’s first choice for online recruitment with over 26,000 leading employers from all industries scouring its CV databases regularly to fill positions across all career levels from entry level to senior executive.
Follow up on all correspondence/contacts
The importance of follow up cannot be over-emphasized. Whatever your contact with the employer make sure you follow up with a thank you note, an email and/or whatever you promised the prospective employer be it a portfolio sample, a CV, an article or a letter summarizing your key skills and interests. Stay fresh in the employer’s mind by keeping the contact trail hot – send relevant news clippings that concern the employer to convey your interest and eagerness, make regular phone calls to enquire as to the status of the position you are targeting and keep the employer abreast of developments with you whether it is new courses you took, a promotion, an important assignment you completed, a professional association you joined, an offer you received from elsewhere etc.
Read up on interview skills
Why wing the interview when you can walk in totally prepared and ready to impress at every possible potential question? Read up on interview skills and be ready with answers that are guaranteed to impress. Today’s employers expect a high level of preparedness to all the standard interview questions and will not respond well to candidates who act surprised to any of the standard text book queries. Invest in some of the better interview books, read them thoroughly and know your CV and the employer’s company inside out before you walk into the next interview to leave no room for error or chance.
