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Don’t Apply for Your Next Job Without Reading This First

You may have heard of the ‘old way’ of job hunting when job seekers would walk in to an office with their CV and wait to meet with a decision maker to express their interest in a job.

Although it may not have been the most effective way to go about landing a job, it did have one major benefit: you got to meet somebody. You could easily look them in the eye, state your case and make an impression.

Today however, it is quite challenging to get that chance instantly.

Instead, you spend a lot of time submitting online applications and after you send your CV, you wait (sometimes indefinitely), to receive an email inviting you for an interview.

Truth is, it has become much more challenging to stand out and separate yourself from all of the competition applying for the same position you are targeting.

Standing out is difficult today. But it is not impossible.

Here are things you can do to set the right impression and rise above your competition:

1. Tailor Your CV

CV is the best tool used to sell yourself to the employer.

You should not use one generic CV to apply for all the jobs. Your CV should be tailored to fit the job description of an advert. Tailoring a CV makes it professional and this will make you stand out from the pool of other applicants.

Go through the job description and pick out the keywords that are related to your field. Do not forget that during a job application, quality is better than quantity.

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2. Show Your Personality

Some companies have a relaxed culture and applicants are encouraged to show their personalities. You should therefore show your personality in your documents as this is a great way to make yourself memorable.

Look for professional ways to show your personality in a way that will make a positive impression on the employer.

3. Find an In

We have heard of many clichés for successful job search, for example, knowing someone who knows people, giving out bribes for you to secure a job and many others which have frustrated job seekers.

In most cases, finding an ‘in’ with the employer is the best step that can help you create a connection and leave a memorable impression that will last long.

Make connections with employers through LinkedIn because going the extra mile to get beyond anonymity will help you build connections, recognition, and stand out.

3. Send A Cold Email

Over 70% of jobs are never posted on website and employers will refer to their databases or referral when looking for someone. This will therefore be an advantage to you if you had submitted your standard applications.

A few months ago, I interviewed for a certain position and I ended up not getting the job. Later, I reached out to my interviewer through email, expressing my interest to work with them. I got the job!

Sending a cold email expressing your interest that you would like to work with a specific company is a great footstep that may land you the best opportunity.

Although you may not always get those results with a cold email, if there’s a company you really respect, reach out and let them know how much you love what they’re doing.  There’s not a lot of competition for jobs that aren’t advertised, so you’ll be a step ahead of the curve.

4. Do A Follow-up in A Creative Manner

Sometimes, it takes a certain amount of pleasant persistence to hear back about a job you’re interested in.

Try something different that will add value to your follow-up messages and make them stick out in the employer’s mind.

 If you have articles or blog posts about marketing strategies that you think are interesting and pertain to their industry, then share with them and ask them for their feedback.

Conclusion,

With many scholars graduating every year and flooding the job market, the journey is becoming tougher and tougher but if you apply the above steps, you are likely to stand out of the completion. Remember, it is not impossible to get a job.

10 Comments

  1. Sure Okinyi confidence is key, what you believe and confess is what you will possess. Wishing you all the very best even as you wait for the feedback of the position you applied.

  2. I was told to update my profile with my CV two weeks ago while applying for a procurement role hoping to get communication back. I strongly believe I’ll get a feedback.

  3. Hi Erick, thank you for your concern. Before applying any job, kindly do a thorough research to check if the email address are legit. Many conmen are taking advantage of unemployment to swindle job seekers. In that case, all our email addresses, bears @corporatestaffing.co.ke….mark the part.co.ke if it is .com then take care, check our websites for other posts from our clients on http://www.corporatestaffing.co.ke, never fall into a trap of conmen. If they ask you to cc to another email then check in our website if it is our email.

  4. Thank you for this wonderful insight. It is indeed very encouraging. You recently reviewed my CV and I hope I shall succeed in getting a job soon. However, my worry is that I came across a job advert bearing your name (corporate staffing services) and at the same time it had another email address which looked like the one for that organization which was in need of a candidate. So in this scenario how do I go about the application process? Do I send my application to both emails? Or do I send it to your email or the other email? Kindly clarify this to me, thank you

  5. Hi David, never give up applying for various opportunities that you meet the requirements. You will one day land the best opportunity.

  6. Since 2017 when I subscribed to their services, I’m still not convinced with Corporate Staffing Ltd’s criteria of shortlisting.

  7. I have the same sentiments. For me, I have never received any positive feedback even when I apply for jobs which I meet 100% requirements since 2014. I have used same CV and got job offers and interviews.

  8. Hi Josephine,
    We appreciate your comment, we feel your pain, there are many job seekers going through the same situation but do not give up. Press on and keep trying. What we usually do is, we select the best based on client’s needs, we strictly follow client’s requirements.
    What we usually tell job applicants, when applying for any position, check first if you meet over 70% of the requirements to avoid disappointments because the market is very very competitive.

    Otherwise we wish you the best

  9. I started the journey of looking for a job with corporate staffing in 2013 and to date I fell stabbed even after them doing my CV twice and even calling me for interviews which I later get stories
    Example in two occasions that whoever was handling the position left .am like oh ok.

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