Home > Career Guidance > Job Hunting

The Best Tips for Getting Hired

Perhaps you’ve been at the job searching game for quite some time. You’ve sent out seemingly hundreds of resumes, applied to countless positions, and gone on some promising interviews… but all to no avail. You have been turned down one job after another in favor for another candidate. It’s all so common. Though rejection in job searching is a normal occurrence-especially in a tough job market such as this one-it shouldn’t be your way of life. Learn about the things you could be doing to sabotage your job search efforts, causing you not to be hired time and time again.

1. Resume Needs Work- One of the top reasons you may not be getting calls for the jobs you’ve sent resumes      to, could be the very resume itself. Your resume should demonstrate all the characteristics, skill sets, and      experience that the particular job you are applying to, requires. Not only should your resume be      professional and comprehensive, but it should also be updated regularly. Moreover, it is always a good      idea to not only custom tailor your cover letter to the position you are applying to, but also that of your      resume. Add skills and qualifications that the job is asking for. You want to give the employer a best first      impression and give them the experience they asked for.

                                                                  2. Gaps in Experience- Another common reason for not getting the                                                                        job is that your resume may have huge gaps in work history that                                                                        are unexplained. This leads the employer to think that you either                                                                        had a bad employment experience during that time or were                                                                        unemployed altogether. The employer will then become                                                                        suspicious as to why you were not being hired by anyone. While                                                                        you might still get an interview with a seemingly incomplete                                                                        resume, without a proper explanation of employment lapse at                                                                        your interview, you will most probably not get the job.

                                                                  3. Not Prepared- Just because you get an interview, does not mean                                                                        that you are a shoe-in for the job. You have to make sure to                                                                        prepare for your interview with good answers to possible                                                                        questions that the employer could ask. Moreover, bring all                                                                        portfolios and other examples of work you have. Also, make sure                                                                        to be prepared to sell your skills, experience, and learning in your                                                                        career as to why it is their only choice for the position open.

                                                                  4. Lots of Jobs- Another reason why a potential employer might find you an unattractive hire for their position is that you have a lot of jobs listed in a relatively short amount of time. This shows them that you lack the ability to keep a job and your career interests are subject to change. Multiple jobs make you look frivolous in regards to your career, and therefore, not a good candidate for their company.

5. Shaky References- You may have gotten the interview, aced it, and the employer is considering you for the      position; but if you give shaky professional references, your candidacy could go from probable to not at all.      Make sure to choose only solid work references-people who you know will give you a stellar reference.      Quality over quantity is the best approach.

6. Negativity- Lastly, though you may have hated your last boss, hated the job, and felt more than      underappreciated, you can never ever paint your last job in a negative light. Though it may all be true, your      potential employer will see it as you having a bad attitude-and certainly no worth to their company. This is      why you should always show your last employer as good but as having an environment that no longer      challenges you. Therefore, it looks like you not only have a positive attitude, but also that you have a drive      to succeed and grow.