With so much competition for jobs you may wonder how you can possibly shine above your competition. It doesn’t always have to be something weird, wonderful or fantastic sometimes nailing the basics will be the clincher.
Here are our Top 5 things to get right.
1. Personality
The problem with CVs and covering letters are they don’t show any personality. Your CV should detail your experience and education/employment history. Your covering letter demonstrates how you fit the criteria of the job in question. But neither of these can show your true personality. In some creative industries, an unusual or quirky CV might be acceptable and that will give more insight. Once you have a knockout CV and covering letter you need to let the employer get to know you in the interview or telephone call. The employer will want to be sure that not only can they work with you but that your future colleagues will also want to work with you. Being part of the company culture is key.
2. Do You Fit the Criteria?
Do you have the necessary experience and education requirements for the role? If something is listed as essential and you don’t have it, don’t apply. You will be found out and that will lead to the company being frustrated that you have wasted their time and a negative impact on yourself as you may feel de-motivated by the rejection.
Where a company states that something is desirable but not essential then you can rightly apply. Maybe it’s something that you want to improve on or additional training to achieve, either way, it’s a great discussion point in an interview. You can say this is a key area of your development and you’d love to be able to achieve this with them.
3. Research
Know the company. If you are invited to an interview it’s because the interviewer wants to learn more about you. They will expect you to have researched and learnt about them. Read the company website. Pages like About Us and Meet the Team can give you valuable insight into the company ethos and culture. If there are compliance, health and safety requirements ensure you have researched what these are and have an understanding of how it affects the role for which you’ve applied. Perhaps they have in house training schemes, this will give you a great talking point as you can actively tell them you’re interested in gaining more knowledge and progressing in the company.
4. Respect
You should show respect to the interviewer and company by arriving on time or a little early. Be honest and open and true to yourself. Showing your commitment and integrity goes a long way and employers will find these great qualities. This will show your desire and passion for the job.
5. Solve the Problem
If a job is being advertised it is because that company has a gap that needs to be filled or a problem that needs to be solved. If you can understand what this gap is and demonstrate how you can fill or solve it then you make yourself a very desirable candidate.
Contact A&S Recruitment today, we’re a specialist recruiter for the import and export industry. We are focussed on shipping, transport, warehousing and port logistics and based in Felixstowe.
