3 Top Tips to Heighten Your Employment Hunt

Young businessperson holding a sign looking for a job. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Unemployment is never much fun.

Whether it’s firing off endless emails to prospective employers or hours spent honing your CV and covering letter, being out of work has the potential to frustrate and depress in equal measure.

Indeed, with hundreds of folk often applying for a solitary position within a company, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out in a job market that’s more competitive than ever.

For many, the employment game’s cut-throat nature has them searching for the remote control in an attempt to find solace in the calming glow of daytime television.

So what can be done? How can YOU make the leap from hapless jobseeker to smiling employee?

Aside from the obvious routes of fine tuning your CV, practicing your interview skills in the mirror and registering with every recruitment agency under the sun, you can read our top tips below…

Seize the Initiative

What if you were to come across your ideal position, but your current qualifications weren’t quite up to scratch? Say, for example, you required an accounting and finance degree in addition to your other credentials – would you close the browser and have a hissy fit, or would you find a way to boost your qualifications and potentially land your dream job?

If you have any kind of ambition, it’s likely you’ll choose the latter option – and it’s actually easier than ever to supplement existing skills through night classes and distance learning with both fitting around your current commitments to offer a didactic route to get ahead of the pack in the hunt for a coveted position.

Stand Out From the Crowd

When employers advertise a position, it’s not unusual for them to receive hundreds of applications, all competing to win an interview in the hope of impressing and being offered the job. As you can imagine, the vast majority of applicants will spin tired clichés about “working hard” and “being a team player”. Admittedly, these are sought after qualities, but it’s the way you frame them that matters.

Think about it this way – if an HR advisor is conducting a paper sift, it’s far more likely your application will catch their eye if it showcases your personality and underlines your professionalism in a novel way. This can be done through a sparkling cover letter that deviates from the norm, without being too leftfield in its approach, and, hopefully, gets you a foot in the door.

Buff Up Your Online Presence

The world and his wife have an online profile these days – but the information we share on the web has the potential to bite us on the backside when it comes to applying for our dream role. More and more, employers are conducting a Google search to assess whether a candidate is a good fit for their firm. Consequently, if your digital reputation is far from professional, make sure you buff it up.

Depending on the industry you’re seeking to make a way into, this may mean getting rid of distasteful and potentially harmful tweets or Facebook posts lest a prospective employer sets eyes on it and immediately removes your application from the mix. However, be sure that the profiles you do have are active, as many employers like a candidate with a firm handle on various social media channels.