If you or someone you know is set to embark on a job search, or has completed one recently, you will likely agree that the art of finding a job is a skill unto itself. Why do those with the best backgrounds or the best skills not always land in the final chair? Because prospective employers don’t usually get to watch us go about our day-to-day business. They don’t see us do all we can do. Instead, they rely on us telling them the story of our potential. Through documents and conversations, we must communicate our value concisely, impactfully and convincingly.
LatimerNext courses and coaching often center around mindset shifts, small tweaks to our approach that set us up for communication success. Today, let’s consider a few we mention heavily in our Sell Yourself Course, which prepares you to enhance your skills as a job seeker and as a communicator.
- Think of your resume like a marketing document.
Too often, our clients are overwhelmed by the uniqueness of a resume. If we think of a resume in its purest form like an advertisement, one meant to capture attention, provoke intrigue and generate engagement, we can begin to think more logically about the content we include.
- An interview is a conversation.
Like any conversation, both sides should talk, both sides should ask questions and both sides should come away with more information than they had before. Interviews are not interrogations.
- Forget what you learned about writing a college thesis paper.
In college, we learn to develop a simple thesis statement into a 10-page paper. Through your job search, your goal should be to get your point across as succinctly as possible (without sacrificing clarity and impact).
- Speak in bullet points and lists.
Just as we do when we coach experienced executives to give massive pivotal presentations, we coach job seekers to speak in bullets. This helps you as a speaker hit all of your intended points. It also makes it much easier for your audience to come away with the key messages of your candidacy. “This job attracted me for 3 main reasons…”
- Imagine yourself as an applicant from your audience’s perspective.
There is an inherent imbalance in the hiring process. Recruiters are professionals and review candidates all day, every day. They have tools and networks at their fingertips that make them knowledgeable and efficient. You, however, are likely unaware how the hiring system works in their organization. So take some time to learn. Learn about the company, the industry and the individual with whom you are communicating. Don’t allow a lack of information and preparation to be the cause of missing out on your dream job.
