Post Image
  For several reasons, people do not get called back after applying. Occasionally, they may make it through, but do not get past the interview stage.
Read more about Career
Hoping that just your experiences/expertise is enough to get you a job is relatively wrong. While it is an essential requirement in your search, there are a couple of things you should consider just before turning in your application, during an interview, and after your screening process.

  • Resume Issues

You probably did not get called back because of one or more of these issues with your resume.
  1. Lengthy Resume: 90% of the time, hiring managers only have about 5 seconds to perceive your value. Imagine having a 5-paged resume with the first page alone, containing your entire family history. It is typical to think that lengthiness will provide more time and leverage, but it does not work that way here. The recruiter probably has a ton of applications to vet, including yours. Your resume is your first point of access; give it your best and ensure your value is staring in their faces. Keep it under a page, so they get a glimpse at once.
  2. Over-selling or lying on your Resume: This is dangerous. If you applied for a job that required two years of experience, for instance, but you have one. Instead of lying, the best you can do for yourself is not to state your years of experience at all and wait till you are asked. In cases where it is required you state it, it is best to follow instructions and not even apply in the first place. Be authentic.
  3. Misaligned experiences: You had your first degree in Public Health, Second degree in Accounting, had an internship in Tech, and you applied for the role of a marketing manager. It is safe to say that you might not be considered at all. While transitioning between careers is a real thing and is very much understood, the contrast should be just one. Leaving one career for another should be strategic. The rule of transitioning is simple – move from your old field and build relevant experiences and skills in the new one, not hopping from one career to another.
  4. Using One Generic Resume For Different Applications: The hiring manager can see through you. You should be able to make a few edits that align with the exact job description and acknowledges it clearly. It makes you look vague and lazy.
Sign up to the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter

  • Etiquette

As humorous as it sounds, saying ‘Thank you’, ‘Please’, ‘I appreciate it’ are simple habits to cultivate. Asking questions like ‘What does the organization do?’, ‘How much will be my salary?’ is sending a red flag to your recruiter and in some cases, can cost you the opportunity. Do adequate research for your interview process and ask the appropriate questions at the right time.

  • Soft Skills Are Important

It goes beyond slapping Emotional Intelligence and Communications as skills on your CV. There is every chance they would like to know how you practised those skills in real-time so be prepared. Try not to assume they are not important only for you to find your recruiter staring at you with a question like….”What are your strengths and weaknesses as regards your work in general?”. You certainly should not be underplaying your expertise by picking your hard skills so your soft skills come to play here. Moreover, you will need to state a few examples where you exhibited such strengths and how you probably dealt with the weaknesses too.

  • Quantify Your Numbers

If your experiences in the past involved metrics, be practical enough by quantifying them in percentage as opposed to just numbers. For example – Rather than saying, “I grew engagement on the social media page from 30 to 100”. You could say, “I grew engagement by 210%”.

  • Negotiation

In situations where your take-home salary and benefits are presented to you, do not be scared to negotiate if you expected more. The recruiter is expecting you to negotiate, please, do but be logical.

  • Follow Up

This is not mandatory as it depends on you. Sometimes, following up on the recruiter or the organization after a while can get you the job. In cases where you did not get the job, you get to be top of their minds and they consider you for future opportunities. You might be the best for a role with unmatched experiences and great expertise but employability is of major importance too. Featured Image Source: Guardian Jobs
Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com
You might also like:
This article was first published on 11th October 2021

grace-christos

Grace Christos Is a content creator with a proven track record of success in content marketing, online reputation management, sales strategy, and so much more.

Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *