When it comes to tapping into best practices in the job search process, recruiters tend to be experts. Therefore, even if you’re not working directly with recruiters in your job search, it’s advisable to pay attention to what they are saying! This week I’ve compiled advice from recruiters that I recommend you follow. It could make the difference between being employed and remaining in job search mode.
- When you invite a recruiter to connect on LinkedIn, don’t use the generic “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” In fact, whenever you connect with anyone, personalize it and provide value. See Recruiter: Stop making this mistake on LinkedIn.
- Craft your LinkedIn profile to contain the best / most relevant key words, job titles and industry names. Recruiters and hiring managers spend significant time sourcing prospects on LinkedIn and you must key your profile to the searches they are performing. See Recruiters Reveal Their Secrets.
- Tailor your resume. You must at least appear as if you have a target and are sticking with it. If you have two targets, tailor a resume to each. See What Recruiters Want Candidates to Know and 100 Job Search Tips from Fortune 500 Recruiters.
- Write a cover letter that helps the recruiter or hiring manager envision you in the open position. Technical recruiters might not read cover letters, but recruiters in other industries do. See Recruiters Reveal Their Secrets.
- Apply for jobs you are qualified for. Look at the job description carefully; if you can’t state examples in your resume of how you have already succeeded in the required duties for the position, you are probably not a fit. See What Recruiters Want Candidates to Know.
- Prepare for your interview by researching the company and having specific examples of your accomplishments and previous experience at your fingertips. You *will* be asked for examples of how you approached situations in the past! See What Recruiters Want Candidates to Know.
- Write a thank you note—and send it by email in addition to snail mail! One candidate snail mailed a note, but someone else emailed a thank you which arrived at the employer’s office before the snail mail; guess who got the job? See Recruiters Reveal Their Secrets.
- Don’t make typos!! See Recruiters Reveal Their Secrets and What Recruiters Want Candidates to Know.
- Network, network and network! See 100 Job Search Tips from Fortune 500 Recruiters.
- Tell the truth. Getting caught in a misrepresentation, including a “harmless embellishment,” will kill your chances of getting a job. See 100 Job Search Tips from Fortune 500 Recruiters.
All of the above tips are in line with what a resume writer or job search coach will tell you… but isn’t it great to hear it from people with decades of recruitment experience? If you said yes, you might want some more tips from this valuable source. Thankfully, they’re not that hard to find. For a wealth of advice from recruiters on how to succeed in the job search, I recommend 100 Job Search Tips from Fortune 500 Recruiters.
Did you learn anything? Did you get confirmation that you’re doing something right? Please share in the comments!
About No. 5: Sometimes the applicant does not have experience in exactly the same kind of duties as are in the job description, but they have experience in other duties that require very similar skills. I have found a successful technique for addressing this disconnect to be drawing a line in my cover letter from my actual experience, extrapolating the kinds of skills called for in the successful performance of those duties, and then relating those skills to the job for which I am applying, closing with a statement that I have experience in utilizing the skill set called for in the opening.