Job Hunting Tips From An Employer

Job Hunting Tips From An Employer

By Paul LeBlanc, CEO of Zogics

1. For most jobs, your application needs to accomplish two objectives: First, show you can do one thing better than anyone else (presumably, the job’s focus). Second, show you can do many supporting things very well. Employers generally want experts who can wear multiple hats.
2. The number 1 reason I reject candidates is their failure to convincingly demonstrate that they want the job and specifically want to work for my company. The number 2 reason is lack of qualifications. The number 3 reason is sloppy/incomplete presentation.
3. Be sure your application clearly demonstrates you can do what’s listed under Qualifications. If for some reason you can’t, market your strengths. You’d be surprised how many candidates I see who don’t come close to demonstrating they can do the job. In fact, in my first round to weed people out, I’ll ask applicants to comment on each of the qualifications listed job post. This forces them to explain that they have what I’m looking for, and more than half don’t even respond (!).
4. If you’re not convinced you’re the right person for the job, don’t apply. Reviewing applications and responding with rejections is exhausting. We get hundreds of applicants per job post. Don’t waste anyone’s time.
5. Read the job description thoroughly. It likely includes instructions you must follow.
6. Always include a personalized cover letter. Make sure it does not come across as a general letter you use for multiple applications.
7. Unless you’re a former Secretary of State or CEO of multiple companies, keep your resume to 2 pages (1 page is preferred). If you’re under 40, you’ve likely not done that much. If you’re over 40, I probably don’t need too many details about what you did in the 80/90s pre-internet era.
8. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and perfect, especially if you apply through LinkedIn. Regardless, assume hiring managers will search for your LinkedIn profile. It also helps to make LinkedIn connections; I’m skeptical of anyone who has too few. I will also search for you on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and elsewhere, so make sure your social media accounts are either locked down or present a side of you employers should see. Smart candidates will use this to their advantage by making sure what is found is favorable.
9. Email addresses are free. There’s no excuse not to get one as close to your real name as possible. Never use addresses like ilovecats@xxxxx.com or redsox4ever@xxxxx.com. Never, ever use a spouse’s email, which for reasons I can’t explain, happens more often than you might think.
10. Do not have your spouse or mom reach out on your behalf. This, too, happens more often than you might think.
11. Unless you graduated with a 4.0, do not include your GPA on your resume if it’s not requested. As an employer, I don’t care about GPAs until they’re brought to my attention as being less than perfect.
12. Always make sure any attachments have proper file names. Do not send generic “Professional Resume Rev 8” or “Final Cover letter.” Instead, “John Doe’s Resume” and “Jon Doe’s Cover Letter — Company X Marketing Manager.” Also, all documents should be well-formatted PDFs. Do not send MS Word documents.
13. Inside tip: I give all applicants a small assignment before even looking at their resumes. It’s a test and usually something easy, like instructions to review our website and report back with observations. 80% do not complete the assignment at all, which means 80% get rejected from the start. Out of the 20% who do complete the assignment, the vast majority do it half-ass. Those candidates also get rejected. Assume any requests/instructions from an employer are similar tests. We’re all looking for ways to efficiently weed out sub-par candidates.
14. Want to really stand out? When applying for a job that you’re absolutely positive you can crush, include something like the following with your application: “I’m confident I’m the ideal candidate for this position. What assignments or tasks would you like me to complete to help demonstrate that I will excel at the job and be valuable to your company? I’m more than happy to invest some time to make your selection process easier.” Trust me, if you do this, you’ll rise to the top of the candidate pile.
15. Final word: Expect to spend at least 1–2 hours to properly apply for a single job, which means taking the time to thoroughly understand the job’s requirements, studying the company to determine if you’re a good fit, and preparing a customized application that will really “wow” a hiring manager. Many applicants spend 1–2 minutes applying, often just hitting a submit button online. It’s far better to be selective and give 100% to a few perfectly matched job openings than to take a shotgun approach and hope for the best. The latter strategy rarely works. If you want to land a dream job, treat it like applying for college and expect to invest a similar amount of time.

Good luck!

PS, If you’re spectacular at what you do, be sure to check out the job openings at Zogics: www.zogics.com/careers