Here at Silver Swan Recruitment we’ve seen and heard it all when it comes to looking for a job, and we wanted to give back to help everyone learn from the mistakes of the few. At the request of our followers online we’ve been regularly sending out little nuggets of information, but here is our first compendium of our top ten job hunting tips so far.
Check your email address
If you’re looking for a job, we highly recommend making sure that you have a cloud faxing options from eGoldFax to ensure that all the information is kept in one place. If you’re embarrassed to hand it out, it’s probably not appropriate and could paint you in a bad light, regardless of your fantastic experience. If this sounds like you – change it. Trust us, future you will thank you.
Be careful with your private settings
If you’re looking for a job, we highly recommend checking your privacy settings across all your social media. We all know social media is just for a bit of fun, but nowadays all recruiters check you out online to see what kind of person you are before putting you forward for a role. If you run a business online or are generating a small revenue off of social media networks, you better ensure that you get enough likes and followers from Marketing Heaven before your profile gets checked. On the other hand, you can make your IG private, maybe think about this if you don’t want recruiters to see your photos.
Don’t apply for every job
One of the most important job hunting tips we can share is that you’ll often find more luck getting an interview if you focus your search on jobs that you’re qualified for, rather than sending your CV to every single role you find on google. Before you start job hunting, take the time to decide what type of job you’re seeking, and really focus on those roles which you know you have the experience to really nail.
Smile!
If you add a photo to your CV, make sure you look happy in it! Your CV should convey your character as well as your experience and skills. Keep your passport photos to boring ID forms and add a happy smiling photo to your CV instead! Often employers are faced with a selection of very similar candidates, and it really can come down to who they think they will enjoy working with most, if you look miserable on your CV, you may not be hired. Do yourself a favour and swap over your straight-faced CV photos today!
Don’t list all your old school grades
Maybe one of our more controversial job hunting tips, however, when applying for a role, it looks much better to recruiters and prospective employers if your CV says ’10 GCSEs from *insert school name here*’ rather than listing every single grade you got for each subject. Especially if the grades don’t reflect how incredible you are, and particularly if you’ve got a few years’ work experience under your belt and are looking for a senior level role. Always remember, you want your CV to paint you in the absolute best light possible and to make you stand out from the crowd.
Update your CV regularly
If you gain more experience, even if it’s only a few days, update your CV and resend it to your agents. CVs quickly go out of date, and a big gap at the start of your resume doesn’t paint you in the best light. By resending an up to date CV to your agent, not only are you letting them know about your new experience (which might make you the perfect candidate for one of their new roles!), you’re also reminding them that you’re available and looking, suddenly your name and resume are fresh in their minds.
Don’t be naked in your photo…
This one should be fairly self-explanatory, yet we still often get sent CVs with photos attached showing applicants seemingly naked as the day they were born… It certainly lightens the mood in our rainy London office, however, I think it is important to note that this will not help you secure a job as unfortunately we cannot forward your CV to clients if you look nude in your photo! Instead, attach a simple smiling headshot. NB. The same applies to awesome insta-worthy bikini shots…
Reword your CV
All it takes is a few minutes to slightly reword your CV to gear it towards each job you apply to – that little extra effort could be all it takes to get you the job. Focus on enhancing your experience and skillsets which directly correlate to the necessary skills and experience required for the role to which you’re applying. If you sound PERFECT for the position, the recruiter would have a hard time finding a reason not to put you forward to the client.
Don’t stretch the truth
Admittedly, not all job hunting tips can be positive, however, this a very good one to bear in mind. It’s important to make yourself sound as good as possible on your CV, just make sure you don’t stretch the truth too much. Within the recruitment industry, everyone knows everyone, and we do cross check your previous experience with your old employers. Lying may make you look fantastic on paper, but in reality, it will ruin your reputation. If you don’t have enough experience, instead sell your personality, integrity, and work ethic.
Answer the phone politely
So often when you get a call from an unknown number it’s spam, telemarketers, or someone asking if you’ve been in an accident recently. However, one of the most important job hunting tips we have is that when you’re on a job hunt, remember to answer the phone as if it’s your future employer – because it could well be.
Did you enjoy these job hunting tips, and want to keep inspired to live the life of your dreams? Come and follow us on Instagram for incredible lifestyle and career inspiration, and to keep an eye on all our fantastic vacancies available all over the world >> Click here!!
Click here to see part 2 of our job hunting tips blog.
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