How to Stand Out As a Candidate During Times of High Unemployment

It’s really important to know what type of role you are looking for, know what you love to do and most importantly, understand how to speak to that. Use your resume to tell a story! Honestly if you are not great at writing a resume, find a professional who is. Your skills in some cases really ARE transferable and a great resume writer can help you speak to who you ARE – not just what you DO.

I am sure you have heard this before but tailoring your resume for EACH role you apply to is really important. Recruiters and hiring managers alike all use “applicant tracking systems”. Understanding that each role has keywords that the system is looking for, will help your resume get to where it needs to be – in front of the person making the decisions.

Put these tips to work next time you are looking for a new opportunity and best of luck in your search. If you’d like more tips, I hosted a Webinar on this exact topic Thursday, May 21! See the recording below.

 

 

Focus Your Efforts

Another tip – don’t apply for every single role a company has posted. Pick the one or two that BEST suit your skills and tailor your resume to speak the language of the job posting.

Once you have landed the interview – I cannot stress enough HOW important it is to be prepared to do telephone and video interviews. Work on your tone, sound animated, do your research on the company you are interested in, know who their leaders are, and read company reviews.

 

Top Tips for Video Interviews

My favorite tips when it comes to video interviews:

  • PLEASE put on pants (I’m only half joking here) Have a peek for a recent live interview with a reporter where he….and I’m not kidding here….did not have on PANTS.
  • Turn off any filters – filters are cute for Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat – but will not serve you well during an interview. (Although I am sure I would laugh hysterically if that happened! Most of us do have a sense of humor!)
  • Set up your laptop and camera to be at eye level (not under your nostrils) Think of the view at a table – during a live interview and try to recreate that.
  • Make sure you prepare those in your environment to the fact that you will be on an interview. We understand “stuff happens” but try to set up the interview in a slot where you can work uninterrupted. Next best scenario – let the recruiter or HR know your environment may be compromised by littles. ????
  • Make sure you have played with the technology a little, so you know everything works! This is the new normal – maybe for a while. How you sound on a phone call (positive, interested, engaged) can really make a difference especially when you might not have ALL the skills a company is looking for. Truthfully – PRACTICE – have a Zoom or Teams party with friends or family and get comfortable. It will help a lot!

 

Act with Empathy

Last but not least – it’s really important right now to do everything we do with empathy. That applies to hiring managers, HR folks and candidates alike. Everyone is dealing with extraordinary circumstances and will be for the foreseeable future. HR Managers and Recruiters are overwhelmed by this pandemic too. A surge in applications, emails, COVID related policy changes and working from home, are all factors that have impacted the market.

When you are working with a recruiter or HR and have not heard from them in a while…feel free to follow-up with them. Gently remind them you are still looking! Building a solid relationship with a recruiter can be beneficial for the long term, not just in this moment. COVID too shall pass – but that relationship can benefit both sides for many years to come!

Additional benefits for you as a professional can include building up that relationship by be sending a resume along with a cover letter and portfolio. You can create a personal portfolio website in minutes using a tool like a portfolio website builder.

If you are looking for recruitment services, at Resolute we offer IT Recruiting to fill gaps on your team long-term, Staffing Augmentation to fill temporary gaps, or IT Outsourcing if there are functions you don’t want to manage in-house. If you’re worried about what would happen to your team if you go the outsourcing route, read our story about taking on clients’ resources!

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