5 Simple Hacks for Your Job Hunt

By May 12, 2016For Talent

Last night, Jobbio partnered with General Assembly to bring ‘Hacks for Getting Hired’, an event that offered Talent actionable takeaways on how to get in front of hiring managers, craft the perfect cover letter, nail the interview, and land the job. It was great meeting so many of you there!

Plenty of excellent tips were offered by speakers Adam Bolton (ABRecruit), Samantha Hepburn (General Assembly), and Jobbio’s own Frankie McSwiney – so we wanted to share some of their best bits of advice from the evening.

 

You only have 15 seconds to stand out from the crowd

Typically, a Hiring Manager will only spend 15 seconds on a Bio or CV before deciding whether to read on or hit exit. So, make sure you have an impactful ‘About Me’ or introductory section, otherwise all the time you spent perfecting your experience and education will be lost because the reader won’t even make it there.

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“The presentations were very useful in showing different angles for finding jobs across all sectors” – Nadia

Don’t be embarrassed about asking for an introduction

Whether this is a positive or negative, people will look to hire who they know. Getting in through a referral can be a major advantage, so don’t be afraid to ask your friend’s uncle or John who you took some college classes with. You can also search the company on LinkedIn to see if any of your contacts are currently working there. Offer to take them out for a coffee, find out more about the company, and express your interest in a role.

Make a personal connection 

It’s 2016 and it’s about time that “to whom this may concern” is wiped off all cover letters! You can easily look up the Hiring Manager, Talent Acquisition specialist, or Team Head at the company you’re applying for by searching online, so address your application to them instead. When following up after an interview, why not reference an event that you know the company has attended or mention that you’d read one of their recent blog posts? This can give a personable touch before getting into the nitty-gritty. Small details like this can have a huge impact.

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“Sam’s presentation was to the point and very helpful” – Caroline

Be creative when applying for a startup

Although culture differs from startup to startup, across the board there is more scope and appreciation for creativity there than at a corporate when making job applications. Just take a look at Nina Mufleh’s application for Airbnb that went viral last year. Although a CV can be limiting, you can experiment with various multimedia content in a Jobbio Bio to add that extra something to your application (try including photos, embedding your social media, or linking your GitHub).

Keep track of the whole process

Whether you’re doing it on Excel like Adam or using Trello like Sam, make sure to keep track of your job hunt. When you’re receiving multiple phone calls from Hiring Managers, things can start to get messy. Always note down who has got in touch with you, alongside the job spec, their contact details, and the follow-up steps. This can save you a major headache along the way and even give you insights into your job hunt. For example, are you getting lots of interviews but not progressing onto the next stage? Then, perhaps it’s your interview skills that need to be worked on.

We hope these hacks help you stay on top of your job hunt! Thank you to General Assembly for putting on another great event. Click here to see what else is on for Sam and the team. Plus, a special mention to some of the companies on Jobbio who came along with us to meet Talent: onefinestay, docuvo, Iwoca, and Hire Space!

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Ready to put these hacks into good use? Check out the exciting jobs waiting for you on Jobbio.com. 


Author Jobbio

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