Hey! Thanks for coming back. Make sure to check out ClearFit to receive your free candidate and employee assessment. Check back often!
Many times when you’re looking for a job or thinking about your career, you’ll think “how can I make myself stand out?” or “why did the other candidate get the job and not me?”… of course if the latter is the case you might use other language that we cannot/should not use on our G-Rated blog. Sorry.
They are both valid questions, and important to address in order to learn and improve your chances of getting a job. If you’re encountering resistance and in need of some advice on how to market yourself better, here are some tips worth considering.
1. Have A Relevant , Accurate And Updated Resume
There’s nothing worse then an old, outdated resume that doesn’t really reflect your qualifications or experience. Make sure that your resume is suited for the position that you’re applying for, including facts and accomplishments that highlight why you are best qualified for a particular job. Be ready to talk about your experiences and everything that you’ve listed on your resume. Make sure that you take a free employee evaluation from ClearFit to verify your strengths.
2. Apply Only To Applicable Jobs
Don’t waste your time by applying for jobs that are completely out of your range, scope and experience level. In other words, do everyone a favour and don’t apply to a job because they sound cool. That is one way to lower your chances of ever finding the right job for you. If you’re unsure about what jobs you’d enjoy and be good at, take a career assessment from a reputable organization and uncover your true work potential.
3. Align Appropriate and Reliable References
Chances are that at one point you’ll be asked for references. Be proactive and align yourself with individuals who you know will vouch for you based on your previous work. If you’ve gotten fired from a job in the past, probably not a good idea to have that old boss be one of you references. Just saying. Also, make sure to ask your references before giving out any contact information. The last thing you want to have happen is that they are called out-of-the-blue and caught by surprise. Again, one way to quickly NOT get a job.
5. Prepare Questions To Ask
If you’ve made it into a interview scenario, you’re pretty much guaranteed some question time at the end. The answer to that should be “Yes, I do have some question about this position/company/role…” not “No, I’m good thanks.” Show an interest in the company, the position you’re applying for and the person you’re talking to. Make the person you’re talking to remember you. If you have taken an employee personality test, show the results to your potential employer - the more info, the better.
6. Dress Appropriately For The Interview
The worst thing that you can do is dress too casual. On the other hand, you can’t dress up too much. Even a construction worker will put on a nice shirt for an interview (Disclaimer: Construction workers are fantastic people, they are also great dressers - the aforementioned analogy is meant purely for demonstration purposes. Please do not write us or be offended if you work as a construction.) So, make sure that you dress appropriately for your interview.
7. Leave Your Mark
Careful, let’s not get crazy here. The idea here is that you will be remembered for the great impression you’ve made, not being the story at the water-cooler tomorrow! Make sure that when you leave the interview they’ll remember who you are. People are usually good at interpreting the results of candidate analysis, therefore - compliment those by standing out from the rest both on paper and in person.
For more information on finding the right job, taking an employee personality test to find out what jobs you’d be good at, visit ClearFit today!