Job Hunting Tips

Job Hunting tips from the Recruiter’s perspective

It’s a fact today that competition at every level is fierce, especially with electronic job posting media. But, don’t let that fact stand in the way of putting your best foot forward when applying via email to a Recruitment firm like ours. In this article, we’ll try to provide you with a few tips on making yourself stand out from the crowd, and getting the Recruiter on your side.

1. Do the recruiter a BIG favor and name your resume attachment with your givenname, e.g. John Doe. Many recruitment software packages find it easier to have the candidate’s name as the file name, rather than “JD newest 03/03”. Even if the company doesn’t have a job for you today, it may mean the difference at a later date when they can retrieve your file and keep you abreast of new positions as they become available.

1. Your cover letter is your chance to sell yourself to a potential employer as the best candidate for a specific position. As such, it’s just as important as your resume. In fact, you should never send out a resume without one. The most important thing to remember is that your cover letter serves a separate function from your resume and should not be used to repeat the details of your resume, such as work history, education, or personal objectives. The resume is about you, your experience and your skills. The cover letter is about what you can do for the employer.

Try to cover:

• introducing yourself
• your reason for writing
• your next action steps re: calling to follow up by a certain date

Make it succinct; bullets are easier to read that flowery paragraphs.

1. Make sure in your contact information you provide name, phone numbers (home, cell number, etc.) and your email address. Don’t send job hunting information from your company email address; simply set up a free Gmail or Yahoo account and use this specifically for your job search.

1. Have your resume ready to go in electronic format, e.g. as a .doc or .pdf. A text version of your résumé will not look as nice cosmetically, but everyone will be able to read it, despite what software or applicant tracking system (ATS) they may be using. To do so, simply open completed résumé in Word, etc. and use the file->Save As option, then select .txt as the document type, and you’ll have your simplified version. Don’t forget to name it with your given name.

1. Follow up with an email or phone call within a week or so after forwarding your resume.

While many Recruiters try to respond to all inquiries, sometimes it can become laborious to get to everyone in a short time period. Remind the Recruiter about your background in a few sentences, to help you become top of mind to them. See if you can gain a short amount of virtual “face time” with them, in order to promote your skills further. But, do realize the Recruiter receives many request like this on a daily basis, and often can only meet only those potentially suited for active searches.

Check out our web site for additional job hunting tips like Interview tips. In the meantime, good luck with your career search!

Wolf is President, Wolf Gugler Executive Search, specializing in executive search and talent assessment for Retailers and their Suppliers with offices in Canada and the U.S. He can be reached at (888) 848-3006 or via email to wolf@box5121.temp.domains. Web site: www.wolfgugler.com.