Lifetime recruiter
Recruitment is a business passion of mine. I started my career in agency recruitment and stayed in it for 13 years, recruiting for different roles from PAs through to HR Directors.
Since leaving recruitment, every role in my 10-year corporate career has involved recruitment, both recruiting for my team roles as a manager, and also recruiting for challenging roles for the wider business, as I became known as the recruitment expert.
I loved it. It’s so interesting to meet people from all walks of life.
And it’s so satisfying to find the perfect person for a difficult role to fill, and then see the impact they have on the business when they join.
The candidate perspective
I know how hard it can be as a candidate too. When you’re at home job searching every day, hearing nothing back when you put so much effort into an interview, and not getting the job you really wanted, it can seem like you’re never going to get a job.
But, somehow, in whichever way you can, you have to stay positive.
Negativity and bitterness is immediately obvious. You might as well walk in with a sign on your head and flashing lights.
Tips for raising your job search game
Which is why I wanted to put together some tips for job searching, from my experience over the years.
My overall message is, if you’re feeling like you don’t know where to go from here, get some help. Professional help, career coaching, life coaching, therapy, talk to friends, relatives, your network.
As everyone has job searching experience, and everyone can offer you advice that may be useful.
You never know, just one conversation could make the difference for you in terms of confidence and how you present yourself. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
Get clear on what you want
Like, really clear
What are your non-negotiables?
What do you definitely not want?
Write it down and refer back to it so that emotions don’t take over at job offer stage
Work out what you are good at, and what you need to work on
Know your strengths in interviews and offer negotiations, and do more of that
Know your weaknesses, and get some help for them
Speak with people in your network who know what’s needed, so that you know any gaps and can do something about it
Prepare
I know this seems obvious, but a lot of people don’t
Prepare for every interview individually, do all the research, speak to people that know the company
I know it takes a lot of time, but there is no way around it
Make recruiters your friend
It can feel like the Wild West out there in the world of recruitment
So find the good ones, get to know them, and appreciate the work they’re doing
Move past the people that don’t call you back or treat you in the way you want to be treated
There are good people out there, find them and get to know them by name
Stay positive
I understand how hard this can be when times are tough, and you’re receiving rejections
But negativity and bitterness comes through loud and clear in an interview
And you won’t get the job, simple as that
Follow up and be on the case, but don’t be cray cray
Make yourself known to recruiters and job hirers
Follow up and be persistent
But find a balance, so you don’t become the ‘crazy candidate’
Stand out from the crowd
Spend time working out what makes you special as a candidate
And work out how to sell it
Be confident about what makes you you, and how this is going to make a difference to the company interviewing you
Get therapy or coaching if you’re finding the process hard
If you’re feeling down with the process, bitter, or negative, get professional help
Or if funds are tight because you’re unemployed, use the millions of free resources available on the internet
Or speak with friends / your network / reach out to people on LI for help. Be humble and ask for help, and you’ll be surprised how many people are happy to give it
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