Top Tips On Your Job Hunt
Sometimes it is hard for recruiters to comprehend but searching for a new job can be one of the trickiest decisions you will ever make. It is up there with buying a house or starting families but the difference is with those activities you have lots of parties that can provide you with credible advice on your decisions which help you along the way.
Hopefully, some of my tips will be useful in helping you secure the best opportunities:
- Writing your CV
Make clear what your strengths are! Avoid just spraying your CV with loads of keywords in the hope you will capture the attention of as many employers as possible. Also, make sure you talk about the value you actually provide rather than the job you do. They are very different things!
- Be specific
Be specific about what you are looking for but also be flexible! As an example, you might want to work in a specific sector but normally this will be because of the characteristics of the sector ( i.e. technology, the volume of data or the general prestige). You can also find this in other sectors so do not limit yourself to only considering financial services or technology, for instance. There are some really good jobs in other sectors that will offer great progressing, competitive package, a great environment and work-life balance if you are open-minded and will give them a chance.
- Assess opportunities on their potential
Judge opportunities on their potential and not just on the job description. People often look at a job description or the role on day one rather than what opportunities role will provide after two years whether you stay with the employer or move elsewhere. As an example, if it is your lifetime ambition to work for Google, for instance, you might want to consider organisations that offer you opportunities to work with a large volume of customer-centric data to gain the experience even if the company is not as ‘glamorous’ or well known!
- Role vs Company
It is really easy to gravitate towards companies who have recognised brand names because of the perception that they may be able to provide more opportunities or might offer a more stable work environment but this is not always the case. Large companies normally have a lot more people doing a similar job to you so it can be hard to stand out. It is actually the experience that adds to your learning, job satisfaction and market value, so focus on a role that will enhance your technical and professional growth rather than a “big company”!
- Prepare well for your interviews
This is key to you getting the job you want even if you do not have all the experience, so think about the following:
- How you will sell yourself in relation to the opportunity (this is more useful than just talking about your job)
- Research the company you are interviewing with thoroughly. Try and identify the interviewers’ digital marketing strategy, how are they using data and if possible try and ascertain what their commercial objectives may be in relation to the data (i.e paywalls, improved customer journeys, retention, etc ). This information is key to providing you with an idea of how you can approach the interview.
- Be Creative. Employers love it if you can talk about some ideas you might have in terms of how they can optimise their data use or digital strategy, so have a good think about it before you go along!
- Plan how you will get there. This may sound obvious but plan how you will get to the interview and give yourself more time in case of travel delays.
*For more information on planning for your interviews and your general search check out our comprehensive free guide.
By Richard Manso, The Founder & Director of Digital Republic Recruitment.
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