6 tips to stand out during your job search

At Employment Plus we pride ourselves on providing the tools that can help you stand out in front of employers. These include job interview preparation skills, resume & cover letting writing, training and upskilling, career counselling and seminars on how to best present yourself for an interview. We share with you 6 tips that you can start working on today, to help you stand out and get that job

1. First stop. Your resume.

Write your resume and cover letter specifically for the role and company you are applying for. If you have the opportunity to do so, have it checked over by friend or family member as they may notice things you’ve missed. Not sure where to start? Work with your employment provider to develop a template and go from there

2. Start planning as soon as you have an interview date

Got the call up? Great news! Now to start planning for the day well ahead of time. Including what you are going to wear – is there a set dress code for the interview? How you are going to get there? Find out the address of your interview and factoring in what time your interview is at, plan how you are going to get there to ensure as little stress as possible on the day

3. Research, research, research

About yourself and about the company. Often we find it challenging to answer questions such as “tell me about yourself?” or “name a strength and weakness about yourself?” Just as you would research information on the company you are going for the job with it’s also important to get to know yourself a little more. Determine some key points about yourself that might be valuable for the company to know about you-both work related and non- work related.

4. In the interview

During the interview take your time and be yourself. All employers understand the nerves that come about from a job interview. We are all human and as long as you are polite and present well, the interviewer will appreciate your effort from the get go. Body language and self-presentation are the first things used to interpret the type of candidate you are and how well you might fit within an organisation- with first impressions in mind, remember to dress appropriately for the interview, show courtesy , avoid touching your phone and keeping your head down and arrive 10 minutes early

5. Don’t be afraid to ask

Ask the right questions with the goal of finding out something useful and related to the job or organisation that will benefit you. For instance “what does the organisation do to promote career progression and growth?” If your goal is to start in the job and work your way up into a higher position in the business – this is a great question to ask. Even little questions are ok. Ask for a glass of water if you are worried about getting a dry mouth from nerves.

6. Consider your referrals

Who will you put down as a reference? Have you had a great experience with a manager who will be able to highlight your strength and reasons to be hired in the future? Consider putting down a reference from a current or previous employer who will show off your best attributes. After all at this stage in the hiring journey employers are looking for reasons to finalise your position in their company – make it easy for them. Ensure your reference knows you have put them forward. Send them the job description so they know what role they are refereeing for.