What else can we do? This is probably one of the most common questions your candidates are asking you. There is always the risk of them doing too much so how do you make sure they should be doing more of the right things in order to land that job?
Well, this week our panel of experts share their knowledge on this and I think you’ll agree, it’s pretty sound advice.
Kerri-Ann Hargreaves
Build up a relationship with your recruiter. Invest time in getting to know each other. Build Know, Like & Trust. A good recruiter won’t risk presenting your CV to a client unless they are absolutely sure that you are right for the job. The same should be said for how you feel about a recruiter presenting your CV, you want your recruiter to be an advocate of you.
Kerri-Ann Hargreaves, Director, H2 Consultancy.
Jeff Berger
Candidates should demonstrate their potential on their CV and during an interview. When TopCV, our CV-writing business, and job board CV-Library asked nearly 200 UK employers “Which of the following is most important in a candidate?”, 62% cited potential as the number-one factor, beating out experience (35%) and education (2%). To show employers you have the potential they value, look for opportunities to showcase your problem-solving skills and your willingness to develop new skills throughout the job-search process.
Jeff Berger, CEO, and Founder, Talent Inc.
Lysha Holmes
Definitely staying loyal to one recruiter- especially in skill short markets.Trust your recruiter and they will focus their energy on finding you your right role! And being honest- no need to ghost, or be deceitful ever. Recruiters are humans too and they deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.
Lysha Holmes, Recruiter of Recruiters, Qui Recruitment.
Paul Wolfe
Research consistently shows that internal referrals are the top source of hires, meaning those personal relationships can have significant payoffs. Networking skills may come easy for some, but this is rare. It is important for candidates to network as much as possible in order to build those skills and feel more confident at events.
Online networking is a powerful tool, but there’s nothing like face-to-face interaction. If your goal is to land a new job, the networking events you’ll find the most productive are ones that include a diverse mix of job candidates, industry representatives, recruiters, and companies seeking talent.
Paul Wolfe, Indeed Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources.
Rebecca Fraser
Building their online brand and not just connecting with strangers. Provide value to your network such as writing blogs, commenting in forums, demonstrating your expertise and show value to your brand.
Rebecca Fraser, Digital Experience and Learning Manager.
Ben Martinez
Networking and talking with people who are doing work they want to do. Instead of asking someone if they are hiring. Change the question and ask if they know someone who is looking for their skills.
Ben Martinez, Principal Founder, Ramp Talent.
Jo Cresswell
Researching the company ahead of any interview. Not just the company’s website and media presence, but what current and previous employees have said about the company. That way, be prepared with real world examples to discuss with the hiring manager at the interview. This will not only show your commitment, but will also provide an opportunity for you to get answers to any concerns that your research has uncovered.
Jo Cresswell, Corporate Communications Manager, Glassdoor.
Darain Faraz
Candidates should always be looking for ways to improve their network. A narrow network can keep you disconnected from opportunity. Survey data from LinkedIn and Coleman Parkes shows that 48% of businesses are focussing on sourcing candidates via recommendations in their network in the face of a tightening labour market. A big priority for LinkedIn has been to study and understand the scale of the Network Gap and how LinkedIn as a platform can be used to help make sure that people with equal talent have equal access to opportunity. Candidates on the platform can use tools like LinkedIn Learning, and join groups within their industry to improve their network.
Darain Faraz, Careers Expert, LinkedIn.
Allan Leung
Asking additional questions relevant to the role and to the organization outside of salary and benefits.
Allan Leung, Lead Talent Acquisition Advisor, HCSS.
Chris Murdock
Candidates should practice more patience (humanity in general needs to have more patience), but balance the patience with persistence. Remember, the candidate may be one out of hundreds who were contacted, so you must be patient with the process. But, because of so many candidates, if you want to be remembered, you’ll also need to be persistent without being annoying. It’s a delicate balance!
Chris Murdock is Senior Partner and Co-Founder at IQTalent Partners
