Despite the current economic climate, it IS possible to land your dream job in 2022. It may just require a more creative approach.
How did you say? Read on…
CV
Your CV is the first impression a future employer will get from you. It needs to be detailed and include information that is relevant. The ideal CV should be 2 pages, but no more than 3, and include detailed work history for up to 10 years.
The format should be easy to read and all the same size/font. The standard layout for a CV should be:
- Your name, location, email address, and phone number
- Profile – a synopsis of your experience and key highlights in your career)
- Education/Qualifications – High school, College, University, and any further qualifications you have including the place, what you studied, and the grades you achieved
- Work history – Should include details of the last positions you had (up to 10 years). Including company, job title, and dates. Try and include as much detail as possible that is relevant to the job/company you are applying to.
- Technology experience – An overview of the technologies you have experience with (Microsoft Office, any specific CRM’s, etc)
- Key skills – this is a chance to sell yourself, what are you good at, what do you have experience in?
Spelling and punction are key within your CV. Download a free tool – Grammarly which will check your spelling and punctuation if you’re not sure.
Did you know that Linkedin will create a free CV for you?
Make sure you explain any gaps in your CV – don’t leave these blank! This is a great chance for you to showcase any training course, self-development you have been doing. How have you been keeping your skills up to date?
Cover Letter
Some companies will ask for a cover letter, which is a supporting document to your application confirming your interest in the company and position. Things to include in this are:
- Which role you are applying for within the company
- Why do you feel you would be a good fit for the role?
- How your experience is relevant to the position or company
Keep it short, less than 1 page is fine. This is another chance for you to sell yourself and set a good first impression.
Your Linkedin should be reflective of your CV and they should include as much detail as each other. Don’t forget a lot of companies will use LinkedIn to headhunt for specific positions, so the more detail you can give the better. Include your contact information within your profile to be easily accessible.
Ensure that the information and dates on your CV are the same on your LinkedIn and you have a professional picture that you would be happy for future employers to see. Remember that most employers will review your LinkedIn profile when reviewing your application.
Ensure you have clicked the “open to work” option on your Linkedin profile and included information regarding what opportunities you are open to in which locations:
Job alerts
Stay ahead of the game and create job alerts for specific companies or roles you are targeting. The following platforms enable you to set job alerts:
- Company careers page
- Naukri Gulf
- Gulf Talent
How to find your dream job?
There are multiple places that a company will advertise their jobs, this will include:
- Careers page on their website – most will allow you to view, apply and upload your CV on their website
- Linkedin company profile
- LinkedIn job
- Post on LinkedIn
How to make your application stand out
- Tailor your CV to the role/company
- Cover letter with detailed information on why you think you would be a good fit for the role/company, how your experience is relevant to the job and what value you could add
- Include a video to support your CV, this could act as your cover letter
- Connect with the hiring manager on Linkedin – send a follow-up message
- Follow up on email (if applied on the website or Linkedin company page)
- Follow up 2 days, 5 days and every week on the status of your application to confirm the status of your application – this shows your interest!
Did you know that an employer will receive on average 2,650 job applications, per job?
Get headhunted
Let Recruiters do the hard work so you don’t have to. The main tool they will use when searching for talent is Linkedin, they will use keywords to search profiles. This is why it’s important to include as much information on your CV as to get headhunted.
Other ways to get headhunted are to upload your CV and profile to:
- Monster
- Indeed
- Gulf Talent
- Naukri Gulf
- Company careers page
Be proactive
- Network – attending networking events, career days
- FOLLOW UP – be proactive and show how interested you are
- Target companies to send your application to.
Paid tools to help:
- Linkedin Inmails – this enables you to send messages to people you aren’t connected with
- Sourcewhale – enables you to extract email addresses and send bulk emails
With every job, you will add skills, experiences, knowledge, and contacts until you build a resume and network that will help you reach your dream job.
Every phase in life is a learning opportunity. Even though you may not be working at your dream job right now if you begin to take the correct steps, one day you will reach your dream job. These strategies are a great place to start.