New Point Recruitment | job searching resumes cover letters

I got asked for my fax number the other day so that I could receive a resume – I just went blank for a moment. It was really interesting. Being a polite guy (and valuing that everyone is a customer) I asked if they were able to email it to me however, in the end, it was mailed to our PO Box and missed the cut off date. When you are in the job market and competing against others that are tech savvy, you need to come up to date in 2017 – really quickly or you may just miss out!

Some interesting observations (the not so great stuff):

Things that we have found from our experience this year alone include:

At least 5% of applications have no phone contact details on them
A further 5-10% at least have old or incorrect phone numbers
People are using old photos on their CV (I really wish I looked a lot younger too but i just don’t!)
Some photos look like they were taken by a 0.3 megapixel camera – C’mon, you aren’t really a Lego man!
When asked to submit a cover letter, close to a staggering 70% of people don’t do it
From the remaining 30% that submit a letter (thank you) barely half addressed the actual job ad
Self awareness has dropped a bit – Be aware of how you present for interview not just your clothes but how you come across. Aggressive behaviours don’t generally make us feel like putting you forward to our client!

The good stuff (how you can do it better):

If you plan out your job hunting strategy, it will pan out for you in a positive way. The great news is that some job seekers are doing everything right, applying for the role or approaching us with the right tools and techniques, being interviewed, put forward to our clients and winning the role. We’ve placed a lot of great people into new careers this year and with a bit of work, we hope that you can be successful through our agency too! Here’s what you need to do:

Check and correct all the contact details on your resume (actually, make sure you have a resume first) – we want to call you!
Have a resume that is clean and easy to read. Some of the best candidates that we have placed had a very basic looking resume with the right information on it – it does not need to be flashy
If you choose to have a photo on your resume, don’t rush it. Dress up and get a professional head shot by someone else – not a selfie. Don’t crop a photo from a nightclub – it makes it look like you cropped a photo from a nightclub
Do a cover letter regardless of what anyone says – a really easy formula is to address it, attention it to the right person, state the role you are applying for, then state in bullet point form your skills in relation to the actual job ad. It can be more formal and include further information however, just doing this alone puts you above 70% of other applicants – it shows you actually read the ad
Have a good and honest friend give you feedback about how you present – are you naturally aggressive, too passive, talk over others, don’t listen or come across as an ‘expert’ (even though you are not). If done properly, you may find an area for self-development that can not only get you selected, but change your career prospects forever. A bit of self-awareness is an awesome thing sometimes

When we see your application come through and you stand out, we speak on the phone and you sound welcoming and easy to talk to, chances are we will be asking you to come in for interview. We want you to be that person. Remember, it’s 2017, your competition is up to date, aware of what is happening in the marketplace and are acting competitively. You need to be doing this too!

We hope this helps and if you need assistance (or know someone that does), please call or pass our details on. Our office is open weekdays and you can call us on 1300 558 979.