How To Land An Interview
There are 5 things to consider before mailing your resume to a potential employer:
- Application
- Format
- Content
- Spelling & Grammar
- Presentation
Application
Always respond to a job advertisement in the manner requested.
You Are Unique!
If a phone number is included in the advertisement, call them. It’s there so that applicants may request further details on the role. So call the advertiser and have some questions prepared. The main purpose of your call is to ascertain if there is a position description or an employment pack and to ask for it. To ignore this important step puts you at an immediate disadvantage to anyone who has made the effort to call.
Create Interest In You!
Calling demonstrates that you are being selective in your job search rather than applying ‘en masse’ for anything remotely related to what you do. Make the advertiser feel special, particularly if you’re dealing directly with the hiring company. Tell them how interested you are. As the majority of applicants will not call until after they have submitted their resume, you are first out of the blocks and in pole position having made that all important first contact.
Sell Yourself!
Be brief and to the point. Plan your conversation. Have some points written out in front of you and always have your resume at hand. You may encounter an engaging recipient who asks what your experience is or what you currently do. This can catch many people off guard but if your experience is in front of you in black and white, the risk of tripping up is minimised.
Application Checklist
- The correct resume format has been chosen
- Are there more pages than necessary – how many pages
- You made contact with the employer/recruiter and obtained a job description or employment pack
- You have tailored your resume for each application
- Each criteria has been successfully addressed – iResume
- You presented yourself in the best possible way
- Happy with your Cover Letter?
Format
The style in which you present your resume will depend on your:
- Level of Experience
- Current Status (returning to work mum, unemployed, student, currently employed)
- Career Direction (are you making a vertical move or are you changing your career entirely) See our section on Which Resume Format
Content
The information contained in your resume should relate to the position applied for. Regardless of how little information you are working with, a tailored resume will have a greater effect than a generic resume. Please see our Resume Tailor for more details.
Spelling & Grammar
English may not be your native tongue but for many applicants it is so why put yourself at an immediate disadvantage by creating simple spelling and grammatical errors. Choosing between American and Anglo versions of words can be difficult but generally of little consequence. Whatever you choose, be consistent for the entire document. Click here for more Interview Tips
Resume Presentation
Microsoft Word is the most user friendly application for writing your resume. Excel is not as functional as Word and will not do your presentation proper justice. PowerPoint and Adobe are both fantastic applications but not everyone uses them – keep it user friendly.
At the dawn of the IT boom, having your own website was fashionable and certainly impressive for IT professionals. Recruitment is still very much traditional and although we need to stand out from the crowd, try to do it for the right reasons. More fantastic Resume Tips.