Saturday, July 03, 2021

Jobseekers, make your search journey more meaningful!

I keep getting a lot of mails and requests from aspiring candidates. LinkedIn is one of the media where I get maximum requests for jobs. Few known people call randomly and ask me to check the jobs for their kids, relatives, friends etc. One of the myths people have is that HR decides who to hire. Few people think that being HR professionals can influence organizations to hire any candidates. HR professionals and senior leaders can connect candidates to a concerned network. They can coach and guide them to get the job, however candidates also need to be proactive and fast in their job search journey. Candidates are shortlisted for their fitment as per the role and selected for their employability skills.  

Few of my observations and suggestions to make your job search journey more meaningful are as under:

Professionalism: I keep getting messages in my LinkedIn inbox. Few candidates are very professional. They have everything, a nice covering letter, updated resume. They request in a sober language. Other hand, the majority of the candidates just message randomly without understanding what their value proposition is. I get messages from a few candidates who are too rude. “Hey, do you have a job for me? Hey, I want to work with your company, or hey, can you check my resume for so and so profile.” I understand their desperation, but this is not the language while asking for the job. Connect, engage, market and then sell is the basic principle on social media. 

Your education and college is just an entry pass: Candidates need to understand that your job fitment is important. Most of the organizations hire candidates from top engineering and business schools at entry level. Once you gain the experience your school doesn't have much value. That may be one of the additional factors, but it is your experience and skills that matter most. Few candidates push their candidature just because they are from top school. They assume that they are qualified for the job because of their school affiliation. 

Not trying enough: It is your journey. It is your struggle. Connecting with networks and relying only on them will not help. You have to try all measures to get the jobs. The organizations to whom you are connected may not have the right job for you, however you can keep trying, but don’t show desperation by messaging them every day or week. Instead speak about your strong points, your value proposition, skills you can bring to the organisation. Try different platforms and be active in the job market. 

Not working on the resume: Candidates have the same profile for every job. Sometimes it is unrealistic to write everything. One of the issues I have seen is copying the resume. Be genuine while making your resume. Don’t put things which you have never done. Sometimes, resumes are too lengthy, sometimes too short, sometimes with too many infographics. Just balanced it and customised as per the role. If required, you have to rewrite your resume from time to time. Invest your time on your resume making.

Not working on LinkedIn profile: Your LinkedIn profile is your professional identity in the digital world. Most of the students and candidates don’t give enough attention to their profile. Keep updating your profile. Use the platform effectively and wisely. Network with the right people and share relevant information. You can create a positive personal brand using this platform.  

Ineffective Networking: Do you know where your seniors and (school, institute or earlier companies’) alumni are working? They may be a great help to you. Network with friends, your seniors, and leaders in the industry.              

Mailing Unsolicited Resumes: One of the mistakes candidates do to send mass mails to everybody they know. Don’t spam the inbox of human resource and hiring managers. Don’t send mass mails and resume to all. Customise your mail in an appealing manner and then send it to relevant people. Nowadays, companies don’t entertain resumes received through mails. They want you to apply through their career page. It is easy for companies to track and find relevant resumes. But one of the problems with this system is your resume may get ignored if your resume doesn’t have the right keywords. Ensure that your resume contains the right key world and content which is relevant to the job advertisement.

Not focused search: One of the mistakes candidates do to apply for every position without reading job descriptions and details of the job. First decide what you want. Make your search focused. Make a list of companies and roles which are suitable and then try. Your resumes can be shortlisted if it matches at least 70% to the job descriptions.

The major issue in the job market is getting the right talent which has the employability skills. Unfortunately, very few candidates demonstrate those skills during interviews. You need to read, keep yourself updated, and focus on continuous learning. Work on improving your employability skills and create your ‘personal candidature brand’ using different platforms and being active on those platforms & job portals to get visibility in the talent market. Wish you best luck!

(Opinions are purely personal & does not represent my organizations, current or past) 

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8 comments:

Kishan Khule said...

Thanks for your valuable guidance...😊

Vaibhav Thete said...

Very nice and crisp guideline which should help lot of people on this network.

Archana Mohanty said...

A thoughtful write-up! It covers all aspects that a candidate/prospect should focus on and work on.

Vinod, thanks for putting it all together, will help so many.

Unknown said...

Job seekers must follow these guidelines..very important and valuable inputs..

Anonymous said...

Insightful, thanks for sharing this!

Unknown said...

Thanks Sir, it's crisp n clear, quite relatable.

Sanjay B said...

Thanks sir for a nice & value added sharing ....

Sanjay B said...

Thanks sir for a nice & value added sharing ....

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