The CV
Whilst many of you might think that including every detail, skill and attribute that you have gained throughout your education and career so far will prove advantageous for your job search, there is a fine balance. The reality being that we could probably each write a short story about ourselves that frankly isn’t necessary, nor does it leave much exploring space or room for imagination for the employer you are applying to. On the contrary many of you might believe that perfecting your CV is not the most important part of the job search because the interview is where you’ll be given the chance to shine. The reality being that you will not be given the chance to interview if your CV does not meet the criteria. When drafting your CV or adding experience for the next stage in your career, it should be composed with direction and include relevance to the particular role or industry that you are applying to specifically. It should not answer all the questions that the potential employer might have, but it should satisfy them that you are appropriately qualified and equipped to take on the challenge. Achieving this balance will not only secure you the interview but provide you and your interviewer with an array of discussion points to uncover more about and to build a rapport.
The recruiter
Some of you will believe that the role of a recruitment consultant is simply to put two people in touch, and therefore only choose to share part of your story with us. You might feel that the employer is the only person that can give you insight into whether they are the right move for you or not but the reality is that our role far exceeds the concept of introducing two people and that these candidates are far more likely to find themselves in a new job that isn’t entirely suitable for them. Recruiters (good recruiters I mean) will have been in the position that you are in at least 10x the amount of times that you have and they are well trained to ensure they ask the right questions that allow them to effectively manage the expectations of their candidate way ahead of the interview even taking place. If they are given the chance to understand you fully, to meet you and to build rapport with you, they will succeed, and you will find you exactly what you are looking for.
The interview
First of all, I excuse a lot of this behavior to nerves which of course, I totally understand but there is a wide misconception that interviews are strictly professional, that your lines are rehearsed and that there is a ‘correct’ answer to every question. The reality being that that could not be further from the truth. Guaranteed it will vary between sectors as some are more corporate than others, but the fact is that people buy from people. You need to engage with your interviewer, express your motives and to discuss concepts that you feel passionately about. You employer will want to understand you as a person in order to understand how you will work with their team and to understand if their culture is one that you will enjoy being a part of. Again, there is a fine balance here and you mustn’t ever forget the importance of first impressions, but your personality might well be just the thing that makes the employer choose you over someone else with exactly the same experience on paper.
The counteroffer
I think it’s important to recognize that not every job seeker understands the likeliness of a counteroffer nor do they often consider the possibility that their current employer could offer something that satisfies the frustrations that have led them to look elsewhere. It is partly our job as recruitment consultants to manage this expectation, but it is entirely your responsibility as the candidate to be honest with us and to explore these possibilities with your employer before you are knee-deep into your job search. Many of you will choose to believe that it is simply not possible before even asking the question and dive headfirst into your job search. Inevitably then when you approach your resignation, the receipt of the counteroffer wrongly persuades you that it is the answer to all of your problems, or the easier option. The reality being that nowadays counteroffers are becoming more and more common and even more noticeably, they have been proven a short-term fix. On average, those who accept internal counteroffers during their job search do in fact register again with the same initial recruitment agents just 4-6 months later in search of a longer-term gain and to alleviate the original problem that urged them to consider looking elsewhere in the first place.
If you are looking for a new job, be honest to yourself and to the people that have expressed interest in helping you. The biggest obstacle we all face is the illusion in our mind of how things are meant to be, but we forget that it’s just an illusion. We are property recruitment specialists, get in touch with our team today to secure your dream job!
