Image Credit: City CV

When applying for work, many inexperienced jobseekers make the mistake of thinking that the employer cares about which candidate is “better”, which candidate is the most "bubbly" or which candidate is "cooler". This is not the case. The employer only cares about which horses fit which courses.

Hopefully, this blog can help readers, that are new to the job market, to pull ahead of the chasing pack on their own merits.

SHOWCASING YOUR EXPERIENCE

The first thing that you need to do when considering applying for a new job, is to familiarise yourself with the content of the job description. Use the content of this document, and the job advert, to inform the content of your CV and covering letter.

A brief opening paragraph, in your covering letter, gives you an opportunity to outline why the role appeals to you and how you fit the employer's expressed criteria.

In your CV, you can elaborate on the competencies that you developed through your prior work experience. Be sure to give measurable examples of the application of appropriate skills. All employers will favour people with visible experience of having handled transferable situations in the past.

If you find yourself for information to go off, don't hesitate to call the given company's Human Resources department and engage them in a conversation about what they are looking for from the ideal candidate. Almost certainly, the organisation in question will appreciate your initiative and this should help you to rise above the noise of all of the other candidates.

EXPRESSING YOUR PERSONALITY

When it comes to showcasing your personality, honesty is always the best policy. Whilst it's important to give your prospective employer the answers that they're looking for, don't risk giving inconsistent answers by lying.

To this end, it is best not to dwell to much on the specifics of what you are going to say in an interview situation or write in a personality profile section of an application form. By all means, make bullet points but, from there on, let your natural personality flow forth. the human instinct is capable of making an infinite number of calculations per second, and can do so more efficiently than your conscious mind.

What's more, responsiveness is key to many modern employment environments - not least in new media roles and marketing, office environments and creative endeavours. You need to be aware that an employer can and will throw you curveballs in interview situations, and your chances of employment may rest on your ability to ad lib.

DIFFERENTIATING YOUR CV

No one CV will ever tick every box for a recruiter. Many people make the mistake of sending out the same, generic, CV to any and all companies that they wish to work for. 

Whilst it does make sense to have a master CV set up; for use as a point of reference, or in the event that you need to apply for a job at short notice; you should also look to create tailored, spin-off versions of these documents for each of the important roles that you apply for.

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So there we have it; be different, express yourself and shine a light on your key attributes. Don't pretend to be the most perfect human being of all time. If you understand the purpose of the application process, you'll reach the winner's post first.

Image Credit: Betfair Tools