??????????You?ve just seen the job of your dreams advertised.
You send in your application and await a call for interview.
A week goes by, then two.
Nothing.
Then a month has passed, and you've given up.
Another dead end.
Sounds familiar?
The reason: the quality of your CV and the cover letter (which I refer to collectively as your sales brochure ? see my other blogposts on this) was simply not good enough for today's job-market.
You should be aware that you are likely be one of 100 or more applicants for any one publicised job opening, so recruiters will likely spend less than 30 seconds looking at an individual application during their first review.
Sounds unbelievable, right?
But ask any recruiter.
Some will even tell you less than 10 seconds!
This initial stage is in fact one of rejection, not of selection, where 80-90% of applicants are eliminated and 0% are hired.
There is no single winning formula which will suit everybody's circumstances (although there are plenty of ?losing? ones!).
The best CV for you is the one which:
- Positions you how you wish to be positioned
- Gets you the interviews you want
- Sets the interview agenda on your terms (as opposed to the recruiter's)
- Incorporates the following characteristics of successful CV's the world over:
1. The CV should represent Who You Are and What You Want
Each of us has skills and experience.
Of these, if we want to be satisfied at work, we should offer only those we enjoy using.
In addition to the skills you wish to offer, you need to also decide what kind of working conditions, environment, location, boss, size/prestige of the employing organisation and last but not least, the compensation that you want.
How do you know what you have and what you like?
There are excellent Exercises on this website and elsewhere for you to use and to uncover these, yet I am constantly surprised that many people prefer to spend more time deciding where to go for their next vacation than they do in targeting something in which they will spend the majority of their waking hours.
2. Be Achievement-Oriented
Next, develop an achievements list.
Use the PSI-Q method (describe the Problem, the Solution you brought, the Impact it had and, where applicable, try to Quantify that impact).
These statements should be short and to the point.
No wasted words.
100% positive.
Describe how you contributed to the company?s bottom line.
Don?t be dismayed if this sounds difficult at first - there are powerful techniques to reveal your achievements.
Far too many people think that the traditional approach of simply stating facts about yourself on a hastily-written CV and hoping that it will get you to the interview simply is not good enough in today?s market.
Remember, "telling is not selling!"
3. Be Relevant and Positive
Most CV's include way too much information, much of which is irrelevant (or worse, provides a "rejection trigger") to the recruiter.
Your CV is your Sales brochure, and the only inclusions should be whatever causes the recruiter to call you for an interview.
Feel free to leave some of the details for discussion at the interview.
And it should be 100% positive. You should not include anything that could remotely be interpreted as negative.
If you are unsure whether something is irrelevant or negative, simple rule: leave it out.
Take notice next time you see an actual sales brochure for a product or service. Is there anything irrelevant or negative?
4. Differentiate Yourself Favourably
Job-hunters must differentiate themselves from the competition.
Although this may sound like an obvious statement, most people make virtually no effort to do so, so their CV is one of the me-too type that never gets called for interview.
One sure way to stand out from the crowd is by sending a clear message of what you can do for the employer as opposed to the reverse.
5. What About the Cover Letter?
Never underestimate the importance of the cover letter.
There are several types of cover letter, all of which should follow the same basic principles as the CV (easy to read, positive, differentiating etc.)
It's a good idea to regard this as 50% of your Sales brochure (in terms of importance and impact) even though it will not normally take anything like 50% of the time to produce it.
And do not forget that this may be the only page that gets read in the first review, so make it count!
If the CV has all these characteristics (plus attention to detail), it will work.
If it doesn't, it still needs work.
Should I get help?
Remember, if you are unable to get your favourable message across in less than 30 seconds, your CV will end up on the wrong side of the recruiter's desk - the one labelled "not this time".
Help makes a difference.
Research shows that the typical response rate for cold-call job applications is about 2%.
This rate is improved by a factor of up to 10 or more when the CV is "coached" by an expert.
The first point in the process to consider help is right at the outset.
Using a series of structured tools and questionnaires to uncover THE REAL YOU and your REAL preferences can point you in the right direction, but you should then go ahead and put the flesh on the bones yourself.
The other stage you should seek help is when you are 99% satisfied that you've done the best that you can do with your Sales brochure.
This is the time to put your ego on hold and let someone (whether a professional career coach, a recruiter or even your next-door neighbour) take a look.
Someone else (especially a trained eye of a career coach or professional recruiter) may notice the things that you may have missed or can point out where something positions you incorrectly. ?????????????
This last point is extremely important.
You should definitely ask the reviewer at what level you appear at first glance. Do you appear like a junior clerk when in fact you are a manager? Wouldn't that be valuable feedback?
Good luck with your next job application!
In short, your task is to take care of ALL the details in the entire job application process, appeal to everyone and not offer any reason for anyone to reject you.
So this part of the process is vitally important, and, in this blog, you will find a number of articles and tip-sheets providing guidance on how to go about it.
If you prefer to get it all in one place, you can download my best-selling book
DO WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU DO
at a special member?s price.
Till next time, always remember I am rooting for you!
With love & blessings
Peter Fleming FCMA
Your Career Success Coach