3 strategies you can apply right now to land the job you want
With competition in the labour market extremely high, getting a role in tech has been difficult for many professionals — regardless of how long they have been working, in fact.
You have certainly wondered what to do to make your CV stand out in the sea of CVs companies receive every day. You may even think you have tried everything, but I promise you that if you are still looking, some of these strategies will help you take a further step towards your place in the job market.
So here we go:
The dreaded networking
People generally say that networking is basically a self-interested relationship in which one person exploits another for work purposes. That is a cynical view of it.
Networking means building relationships with commercial and profitable ends in mind — in other words, networking is a win-win partnership.
As long as you think you cannot build professional relationships with people you studied with or worked alongside at other companies, things stay difficult for you, because who is going to recommend you?
You do not have to be someone's best friend, but you do need to know their strengths so you can build a working relationship that is positive for both of you.
And in the digital, remote-working world we have been living in, a good way to start networking in a way that brings visibility in the market is through LinkedIn recommendations.
You can go to the profile of someone you have worked with, endorse their skills, describe the work you did together and leave a sincere and generous recommendation of their work.
And speaking of LinkedIn…
Do you keep yours up to date?
Is your photo the relaxed one from the beach, or one that shows more of who you are at work?
Having a LinkedIn that appeals to an employer or interviewer is about more than having a profile from which to send applications.
Your profile photo should reflect the bearing your working environment requires, and the About section needs to be a summary of your education and your professional experience.
If you think you write well, how about becoming someone who shares articles about the field you want to work in and comments on them? Or who writes pieces on the topics of the moment, setting out your own view?
Remember to update the Experience section whenever you change company or role. And when you come across people you enjoy working with, leave recommendations on their profiles so that you receive recommendations about your work too.
Where is your portfolio?
Have a portfolio that shows the projects you have worked on, whether at work or at university. Highlight your strengths in the skills you need to use most often in your job.
And if you feel shy about it, let me ask you something: would you rather spend your time on a CV that only names the roles you held and the courses you took, or on one that describes exactly the skills you developed on each project relevant to that vacancy?
Your job is to impress the recruiter, so do not be afraid to show your skills and qualities. What is not allowed here is lying.
In closing…
Doing what everyone else does, on the same platforms and in the same way, will leave you with an application indistinguishable from the thousands sent every day.
So I recommend doing something different, and the 3 points covered in this article can be what sets your application apart.
Give your LinkedIn some proper attention, build a network that has real value so you reach your goals, and do not be afraid to recognise and highlight your skills so the recruiter sees your portfolio differently.
Apply the strategies and good luck!