Not a lot of people in their early 20s get to first-hand experience how to get hired- from the employers perspective! If you’re wondering how to get hired- from that perspective- you’ve come to the right place!
Having been in the applicants position only a year ago, I think it is so interesting how much I didn’t know. But if you asked me my biggest take away from this experience I would say this: It’s not that hard to be extraordinary! True, getting hired is a competitive game and you can be ruled out for even the smallest reason. However, you don’t know what your competition is like, so show up as your best self.
Of course, there is no hard and fast rule for how to get hired. There are so many things that are out of your control, but if you implement all these tips, some company will snatch you up for the star that you are!
Related: Why Creative People Are Best Suited For Business
Use Keywords From The Job Description
Unfortunately, your suspicions have been confirmed: hiring managers spend barely any time reading your resume compared to what it takes to write it. With the sheer volume of resumes I had to get through, I was looking at resumes with the goal of making a decision as fast as I could. Unfortunately, if someone wasn’t a HECK YES for the position, that usually meant they were a NO. You need to show you are a HECK YES right from the get-go.
The best way to do this is by specifically using keywords from the job listing in your resume. An easy way to spot keywords is to look at the hard skills and soft skills required for a position. There is a reason they are in the job listing: because it’s exactly what they’re looking for!
Here are some soft skills I interact with daily:
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Flexibility
- Time management
- Problem solving skills
- Creativity skills
And here would be some examples of hard skills:
- Computer skills
- Certifications or Licenses
- Copywriting
- Software experience
- Languages
- Stage Combat
That last one is a personal example, lol… But it leads us to our next point!
Don’t Include Irrelevant Information
I understand the inclination to add everything to your resume in hopes to cover all your bases, but a clear and precise resume will get you a lot farther than your entire work history! Your goal on your resume should be to help the employer out by not having any distractions from showing you are the perfect fit for the position. For example, if you are applying for an office position, the time you worked at a grocery store in high school will not be helpful to show them your office skills.
If you only have experience that is outside the realm of what you’re applying for, you just have to frame it in a way that connects the dots between where you’re coming from and where you want to be. Let’s say you’ve worked as a barista a couple times and now you want to transition into an office job. You’re going to want to show anything administrative or organizational in your job description. So, don’t talk about how fast you made lattes, instead try descriptions like this:
- Was responsible for making the schedule for 30+ employees
- Performed pre-shift and post-shift duties, side-work, and corresponding paperwork
- Was able to perform a high volume of tasks in high-activity work environment
- Was responsible for opening, closing, and counting registers
Your character and work ethic will be more important than the actual tasks of your job. So remember to show that when writing your descriptions.
Related: How To Start A New Career With Zero Experience
Show You Will Be A Good Culture Fit
This is often overlooked by applicants, but in addition to selling your skills you have to sell your personality! The employers are completely aware they are going to have to work side by side with whoever they hire, so they want to hire someone they will enjoy being around! Ask yourself what you can do to go above and beyond in your presentation of yourself as an excellent coworker.
Sometimes an employer might not know for sure about an applicant until they interview them. As someone who was recently on the other side of the table, we chose to give some chances to people were were on the fence about from just reading their resume. Within the first 5 minutes we could usually tell if someone was going to be a good fit for our company. There would even be times when we had high expectations for someone based off of their resume, but their attitude or demeanor put them in the “no” pile. If you’re trying to figure out how to get hired, having a sour attitude is not the way to go!
Make Your Resume About Them
When it comes down to it, employers are mostly interested in what’s in it for them. Your resume should be like a pamphlet showing them all the ways they would benefit from hiring you. I am not kidding you, I read a couple resumes that started with an objective: for them to get a job in whatever field. As a general rule, if you choose to include an objective or summary on your resume; make it an unselfish one! Show what you have to offer, not what you are hoping to get for yourself.
If you think about it from a sales perspective; you need to present yourself as the answer to their problem. If they’re hiring a general manager, show how you are the best manager out there! Does that company need an administrative assistant? Your resume will be a prelude to the best dang administrative assistant that company has ever seen!
Related: How To Get A Job As An Administrative Assistant
Show Your Interest
This should have to go without saying, but after looking at a hundred resumes I’ve got to say it: genuinely show how interested you are in the position! If the hiring team is at all on the fence about you, your enthusiasm may be what tips the scale in you direction. Plus, you don’t know how the other applicants are behaving, so why not stand out as someone who is genuinely excited about the position?
Personally, I found interviewing friendly, charismatic, and enthusiastic candidates to be a breath of fresh air. I actually had several people flake out on phone interviews with me! When I finally got on a call with someone who wanted to engage with me, I enjoyed it that much more!
There are so many ways you can show your interest in the position: research the company beforehand, ask questions about the company culture, ask what the future of the company looks like. Also try to make a genuine connection with the people you are interviewing with; they will likely be your coworkers!
Related: 8 Resume Tips To Know Before You Start Applying
So I’d love to know if you have any questions! Feel free to ask away to get the perspective of someone who’s been on the other side of the table.
Don’t forget to pin this on Pinterest so you can refer to it later when you need to know how to get hired!
