Whether you’re fresh out of college, or a seasoned industry vet, many of us enter the job search process without a game plan. A four-page resume isn’t the answer. Nor is a rambling video interview describing every detail of your professional life.
Strategy matters.
Imagine for a moment that you are a corporate brand looking for brand recognition. The best candidates, like the best brands, build a compelling narrative around them. No recruiter will remember which high school you went to or the irrelevant details of your first internship. Work experience gained while in school has value but not as much as the details of your latest place of employment.
Knowing what to focus on and how to manage your personal brand can have a big impact on the success of your job application. Building a personal brand will also help you stand out from your peers and the hundreds of applications that land on a recruiter’s desk any given day.
Know your audience
You can’t tell a compelling story if you don’t know who you’re speaking to. While crafting your application always keep in mind the person on the other end who might be reading it. Who is the person most likely to be reviewing your application? Is it a recruiter or a hiring manager? Tweak it to be personally relevant for that specific audience.
Writing to a recruiter
If you are writing to a recruiter, it is important to keep a few things in mind.
Keep it simple: Remember that recruiters are very busy people who rarely have more than a few minutes to devote to reading your resume. Therefore, when writing to recruiters, avoid unnecessary verbiage in your application. Stay on point and state your case as plainly as possible.
Get to know the recruiter: Do yourself a favor and build a relationship with the recruiter. Write to them on LinkedIn or via email and introduce yourself. Recruiters want to get to know you because it helps them identify your potential as a candidate. Recruiters respond better to candidates who:
1) Show that they have a real interest in their own career
2) Demonstrate their passion for the specific role
3) Show an awareness of the company culture
4) Demonstrate a clear understanding of the technology
5) Stick to the point
Writing to a hiring manager
Hiring managers are usually managers from within the organization chosen for their understanding of the role to identify suitable candidates. Unlike recruiters, they do not specialize in HR and staffing processes but they do understand the requirements of the vacant position. Writing to a hiring manager will require a different approach compared to a recruiter.
Do your research: Conduct some extra research and find out what you can about the hiring manager. Their responsibilities at the organization, their area of expertise, and so on. Also, conduct additional research about the company itself. Skim through the company website, read any publicly available literature, and try to understand their business goals and challenges.
Add a cover letter: Most job ads these days ask for a cover letter to accompany your resume. Cover letters are a great way to speak directly to the hiring manager. They also let