Is the Job Application Dead??

Hiring and developing great talent has always been one of the most important things a company can do.

Job boards and untargeted cold emails might work well for entry level positions, but if you want to get top tier talent through the door, you need a new approach – you need to focus on candidate engagement.

Here’s why:

Why The Application Isn’t Working

Job adverts make a fundamental assumption that a candidate is actually interested in applying to your company. This is great for active candidates who are job hunting, but what about everyone else? What about the candidates that sees one of your tweets? The people that come to your careers page hoping to learn more about your culture?

Prospects that heard from a friend your company was “doing some cool stuff”? Do you think they’re going to click that apply button? They might do, but it’s more likely that they’ll just leave your website and go back to checking out cat memes! A shocking 98% of people that visit your careers page leave without taking any action at all.

Why? Typically, the only action visitors can take is an application. The main problem with this is that the passive candidates that hit your site aren’t “ready-to-apply”.

Online, but the same

AKA, the seemingly sensible ‘one-step at a time’ approach that utilizes online resume templates. After all traditional resume formats typed up in word-processing software have long been the common standard. This type of change could be better if done gradually (for the bulk of candidates and recruiters alike). Using such tools job seekers can start with a structured template, and finish with an impressive looking resume.

Pros

• Easier to have a structure than starting with a  blank screen

• Simple to share and track communications

• Less risky approach, well-suited to more conventional industries and less creative jobseekers

Cons

• Doesn’t give employers any more information than a conventional resume

• Templates that are too structured limits the ability of the job seeker to show their creativity

• A resume created with a Word processor is already in an electronic format

I see this as a useful tool for jobseekers, but too small a step at addressing current concerns to become a new standard.

Creative/Videos

There have been those who suggest that applicants should be as free as possible and put together their own creative presentation, with limited guidelines. This approach was recently adopted by Union Square Ventures, who have been requesting applicants to submit links representing their web presence and short videos when applying for jobs at the venture capital firm. They say this process “nets better-quality candidates.” UK job seeker Graeme Anthony was looking for a PR job when he put together a compelling video that attracted big audiences. “It shows off my personality in a way a paper CV can’t,” he said.

Pros

• Provides employers with a greater understanding of a candidate’s personality and style, as well as a more thorough story of what they have achieved during their career

• Candidates can choose a domain for their presentation, and utilize inbound marketing techniques so their target audience will find it

• Candidates can truly stand-out: no two applications can be the same

Cons

• For once-off low-volume applications geared towards a creative market, this can be a lot of fun. But what about everyone else?

• This style of application is difficult to manage within a company’s existing HR processes and systems. Companies who are hiring more than ten people may find managing and reviewing these entries simply too complicated

• Reviewing such presentations can be time consuming. HR professionals are already pulled in several directions, with not enough time in the day to complete daily tasks, let alone when they need to review 500 videos or creative websites

• They lack data that is important in determining a candidate’s fit for the job

• For non-creative job seekers, these are too difficult to put together

• Rarely relevant to positions outside technology, design, sales, marketing and PR

This may indeed become more common in certain industries, but will need to be a component of an integrated approach for the mainstream.

Infographic

As I mentioned in my last post, given that many enjoy reviewing data visually, we are increasingly being surrounded by infographics. Predictably, ideas have been proposed to replace resumes with graphics. This is one of the more visually pleasing options available.

Pros

• Can be exciting to put together, and allows creative skills to flare – for the right candidate

• Ability to portray a different side to a job seeker’s skill-set

• The end  result can look fantastic in contrast to current conventions

Cons

• The style can be confusing for resume reviewers, and could take too long to review in a volume situation

• Whilst they are sometimes superb introductions, they lack the necessary data behind them

• More attention will inevitably be given to the design rather than the data it represents

• Again, job seekers who aren’t creatively minded will find this concept difficult and frustrating

I see value in these for recruiters in being able to easily digest and review information, but surely these should remain the powerful book cover to the rest of the candidates’ information.

Social networks

With the web becoming more social by the day, where better to develop an online presence than using a social network, where users can easily interact with current and potential employers. As Allison Cheston correctly points out “networking is still the number one way people find careers.”  Further, these networks now offer features for users to easily apply for job opportunities.

Pros

• Powerful tool to develop relationships with potential employers

• Profiles are search-engine optimized, so users can be found easily

• Easy to update, as it is important to maintain these even when not necessarily looking for a job

Cons

• You only get one profile, and therefore it is very difficult to customize it for a particular position

• The information in such a profile is more at the introductory and narrative level; perfect for developing a network, but not detailed enough to get a job

• These networks often have a one design fits-all for the profiles, which doesn’t allow a candidate to show enough of their personality and style

• These are less useful for jobseekers earlier in their careers without a substantial business network

Online social networks have already changed the recruiting process. However, I see the use of these as complementary tools to the more general standard approach.

All of these approaches have creative products that are allowing jobseekers to change the way they apply for job opportunities. And sure, each of these has significant value and gaining traction in different industries and job types.

But what it takes to become the new “common ticket” is a combination of the above, with the flexibility for each industry to set their own standards within a designated framework. Here, I wanted to take products out of the equation, as this discussion is about something much larger – the themes. Within the next few years, a combination of the above will rapidly increase adoption, and we will start to see the end to the resume as we know it.

There are too many issues with the current passport to a new job, and too much innovation available, to prevent its evolution. Be ready for it.

Cover Letters: Yes, They are Dinosaurs, But They are Still Requested!

They say that the resume and cover letter are going the way of the dinosaurs and that digital portfolios are the way of the future. I agree! Once millennials advance in their careers to occupy the ranks of hiring managers, personal websites, LinkedIn profiles, and overall Internet presences (including social media channels…but you already knew to keep your spring break Instas to yourself — right?) along with the tailored questionnaire that many ATS’s* offers will likely constitute the whole of a job application.

For now, though, it’s important to have your resume and cover letter game on lock. Plenty of great resume templates exist around the web, so let’s talk the bane of every job seeker’s existence: cover letters

Cover Letters

Every job seeker’s nightmare

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. You CANNOT use the same exact same cover letter to apply for every job. The good news (!!) is that you can create a template that’s easy to replicate and creates the illusion of a super-tailored piece of writing every time. Plus, it can be fun!

Step 1: Figure out to whom you’re writing. When I ask you to figure out your audience, I’m suggesting that you not only take your best guess at the individual who might actually read your cover letter (by browsing the company website and/or LinkedIn for the head of recruitment or potential hiring manager) but also that you get a sense of who your audience is more broadly. You’ll want to adjust your tone to mirror the job description; it can be just as jarring to receive a stuffy, formal letter at a laidback startup as it can to receive a conversational note at a place where etiquette demands a sober tone.

Step 2: Write an opening sentence. So you’ve addressed a specific person and decided how you’re going to communicate. Now, you’ll state the position to which you’re applying and mention how you heard about it. Something like, “I’m writing with enthusiasm regarding the Marketing Associate position at Compass. I found the posting on AngelList and was immediately intrigued,” will do the trick. If you’ve decided to adopt a casual tone, a version like, “I’m reaching out to express my excitement about the Marketing Associate position at Compass. I’d like to think it was fate that brought this opportunity to my attention, but I found the posting on AngelList.”

Step 3: Mention some specifics to show you what this company is all about. The next step is to show that you have the work ethic, savvy, and enthusiasm it takes to write a truly tailored cover letter. This will entail some background research; if you do it right, browsing the website (the About, Team, and Press sections can be particularly useful) for a few minutes is sufficient to sound impressively knowledgeable. You just mentioned in your opening sentence that you’re pumped about the opportunity, so tell the reader why this company is where you want to be.

Here’s an example by ImpressiveCV of a brief, yet effective few sentences to do so:

One way to avoid the potential for your cover letter to become a dry block of text (other than to make it personal and specific) is to break up the formatting. The bulk of the content will be your explanation of your qualifications, so why not keep it clear and powerful by pulling out 3 core competencies of yours that most closely relate to the demands of the role. By keeping it personal and to-the-point, you’ve minimized the risk of the hiring manager merely skimming the letter, but it’s powerful to restate the most powerful parts of your “why me” argument nonetheless. Think of a synonym or word that captures the gist of each of your three competency bullet points. Then, figure out how to summarize the goals of the position. From there, simply put ’em together and tell your reader that your shining qualities will help you hit it out of the park as the newest member of their team.Now end it with an appropriate closing and your name, and — voila! — you’ve written a pretty badass cover letter!!

How to tailor your ATS resume

If you are a job seeker you would constantly be hearing “you must tailor your resume to every job application.” So, how doe one actually do this?

You’re probably wondering- Is it really necessary? It might be tempting to skip it, because yes- it takes time.

But it really will make a huge difference in the number of companies that call you back and invite you to interview I’m talking about an exponential increase in callbacks… not a slight increase. I’ve tried both ways for my clients, trust me.

Tailor your resume every single time

Don’t let your CV get lost in the pile of paperwork

What is CV tailoring?

Much like when you buy an item of clothing and then decide to make some alterations, tailoring your CV does not mean that you re-write the entire CV from scratch Rather, you amend, and shape it so that it fits better. Likewise, CV tailoring will allow you to use one or two main CV templates and make a few simple but powerful alterations so that it suits the purpose for each of the related roles that you are applying for.

In the same way that one size does not fit all when it comes to clothing, one size of CV does not fit all recruiters or jobs. Submitting job applications can be a numbers game (in that you may need to submit many before you succeed), but there are some powerful tools you can absorb into your arsenal so that you give your application the most chance of leading to an interview. One way of doing this is tailoring your impressiveCV, because:

• It helps target your application

• It assists the recruiter in seeing that you have the skills/training/qualities for the role

• Most importantly, it shows an attention to detail and that you have taken the time to review the job description and “answer” to its demands in your CV

Do not underestimate the power of tailoring your impressiveCV.

Given two candidates with similar or equal credentials, experience, skills, and training, recruiters will invariably prefer the CV that clearly demonstrates a faithful response to the needs of the role in question. Recruiters are short on time and often just scan CVs to check for key bullet points that show you are qualified for the role.
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For recruiters that utilise “sifting software,” those programs are doing the reading on their behalf, and sift out the undesirable candidates— all the more reason to tailor your CV, as a computer program cannot “join the dots” together and see that you can do the job if your CV is not tailored to spell it out loud and clear.

So how do you do it?

1. Read the job description carefully. Ensure you are a good fit

2. Pick out keywords and phrases. Have a look at www.jobscan.com to assist you with key words

3. Make your experience fit. Use examples to showcase

4. Put your most relevant experience first. ...

5. Research the company and its key phrases and words

6. Tailor your CV to the job description for the best chance of success

Cross your t’s and dot your i’s. Seriously. Many job ads include a line stating that a candidate should exhibit excellent communication skills. While there are many interpretations as to what this may mean, it may actually be a simple yes/no rating that could stop your application dead in its tracks. How picky do search committee members get? That depends, of course. It’s true that not everyone was an English major in college, but the broad assumption is that materials should be virtually free of grammatical errors and demonstrate a degree of writing proficiency -- with a clear sense of organization and some variety in sentence structure and words.

Take the time to read and reread your application materials; consider asking a close friend to proofread as a favor. Despite your accolades, some raters may push you to the bottom of the pile if your writing reads more like a hastily sent text than a polished, professional piece.

Director and Executive CV Writing

As a C-Level, senior executive, or a mid-level manager looking to enter the world of senior leadership, your years of experience, education, and personal development may seem difficult to fit into a 3-page CV. So what should you include, what should you leave out, and how should it be formatted to ensure it stands out in the pile of resumes the recruiter is likely looking at?

The first, and most important tip is to have someone else look at it. Working on one’s own CV usually results in one of two outcomes; either the CV is too humble, not making enough of your years of achievements and hard work, or it is too over-the-top with industry jargon, which a recruitment professional may not be able to adequately compare with competing CV’s. I’m sure it’s no surprise that I would recommend using a professional service such as impressiveCV to help with this, but this recommendation is more than just a plug for business.

Professional CV writing and career consultancy services offer something that your colleagues, family members, and friends usually can’t, we do market research with recruitment agencies, and we keep up-to-date with both local and global trends in best-practice application preparation. This may not sound important, however just the smallest faux-par in a CV can send it straight to bottom of the pile. Some examples include the use of a photo in a CV, while this is a common practice in Middle Eastern recruitment, particularly for senior level-employees, but in Australia it is not recommended.

Another example is the perspective of the writing, many, if not all job seekers are aware that that it is considered poor- form to write your CV in the first person (using ‘I’, ‘my’, etc), but unfortunately all too often we see self-prepared resumes that have taken this what not to do information, and created a CV in the third-person perspective, for example “Stacey is known for…”. This is considered equally poor form in the recruitment industry, and may again be the one thing that sees you miss out on a role against a similarly experienced candidate. For your reference, CV’s should be written in a style called ‘the passive voice’, with no forms of personal pronoun at all, if you’re not confident in writing this way, please seek professional assistance from impressiveCV.

Personal branding is another hugely important factor for senior staff, but how do you get it into your CV? Start by identifying your brand; what is your leadership style, what do you value professionally?

Think of your personal brand as an individual version of a company’s Mission and Values statements. Identify your own mission and values, and embed that theme throughout the CV, you can do this in your elevator pitch, a sub-heading under your name, and as a theme throughout your achievements within the document. Find examples of ways you have lived up to this brand throughout your career and highlight them within your CV. Additionally, ensure your LinkedIn profile and any other online presences follow the same brand. A true brand needs to be consistent. For more information or assistance with creating your personal brand click here.

Finally, know the company. I can’t stress this enough know the company you are applying to work for. Know their history, know their values and mission, know their development plans. Take the time to research all media on them, and read their 5 year plan start-to-finish.

There are no short- cuts if you want to ace the application and interview process for a senior executive or C-level position. If you don’t know the organisation inside and out, past and future, but another candidate does, you can all but wave the job goodbye.

This is an area that even professional and highly experienced boutique Executive CV firms such as impressiveCV are not able to help you with, because we can’t sit the interview for you. We can help you source the information you’ll need, and we can incorporate it into your CV and other application documentation (ideally aligning it with your personal brand), but at interview it is up to you to know and understand the company, what they need, and how you fit that need. More information on Senior level interviews can be found here.

Final tips if you are planning to do your CV without professional assistance:

• The top half of the first page is the first impression. Use this space effectively. Highlight all of the most important information; your name and contact details, brand statement/elevator pitch, core competencies/areas of excellence, and most significant career achievements. Always use measurables ($, %, etc) and show personal growth and contribution to company growth wherever possible.

• Use white space and design effects to highlight items of most importance. In the most senior roles, use of Applicant Tracking System software is rare, so you can afford to get a little bit creative in your design, with career timelines or infographics. These should be used appropriately, and even if you are a design professional, I strongly recommend having a recruitment or CV writing professional review the work (many will do this at no cost) to ensure it still meets industry standards.

• Be concise. Keep the CV to 3-4 pages at an absolute maximum (ideally 2 pages if you can). Write with purpose and avoid all unnecessary or doubled-up information. If you had some of the same responsibilities in two different roles, only include them once; if you have highlighted an achievement in a specific achievements section, then ensure the achievement notes the employer/role, and remove that achievement from the professional experience section. Remove or reduce to a timeline graphic all employment more than 15 years old, and include only qualification title, education institution, and year of completion for items in the education section.

Finding a Job in Dubai

Are you looking for a job in Dubai?

Well let’s be honest: thousands of others are too so you need to hold a royal flush. Many visitors who came here to seek employment say they want to return home as they are living off the generosity of Good Samaritans with little or no money left on them. I have been helping job seekers out for over 4 years now I will tell you what I have found to be a winning hand. Time is running out, so let me cut to the chase.

What Impressive CV Has To Say

First things first. You are a product. You need to define your personal brand and be consistent with your message of what you can do, what you have done, and where you envisage to be able to take a company. Your resume and your LinkedIn profile are your advertisements. I know I own a successful CV writing company, and yes this might sound like a sales pitch but, an impressive, professional resume should summarise and highlight your strengths, skills, and experience in a way that grabs the attention of the recruiter. He or she spends seconds skimming through hundreds of resumes - and that is only when it passes the rigorous screening tool of ATS. My humble advice is to invest in a resume written by a professional agency or consultant or spend the time going through various websites that give tips on getting it right. In a highly competitive market such as this, if you don’t you will more than likely fail.

Get active on LinkedIn

1. Put in the Time to Make it Awesome

   Simply put, the more complete your profile, the better the odds that recruiters will find you in the first place. So, completeness is important from that standpoint. It’s also important after a recruiter has found you and decided to click on your profile: He or she wants to know what your skills are, where you’ve worked, and what people think of you. So, don’t get lazy—fill out every single section of your profile. The good news? LinkedIn will actually measure the “completeness” of your profile as you work and offer suggestions on how to make it stronger.

   Get a Custom URL

   It’s much easier to publicise your profile with a customised URL (ideally linkedin.com/yourname), rather than the clunky combination of numbers that LinkedIn automatically assigns when you sign up. How to get one? On the Edit Profile screen, at the bottom of the gray window that shows your basic information, you’ll see a Public Profile URL. Click “Edit” next to the URL, and specify what you’d like your address to be. When you’re finished, click Set Custom URL.

   3. Choose a Great Photo

   Choose a clear, friendly, and appropriately professional image, and pop that baby up there. Not sure what “appropriately professional” means? Take a look around at what the people in your target company, industry sector, or business level are wearing.

   4. Write a Headline That Rocks

   Your headline doesn’t have to be your job title and company—in fact, especially if you’re looking for jobs, it shouldn’t be. Instead, use that space to succinctly showcase your specialty, value proposition, or your “so what?” The more specific you can be about what sets you apart from the competition, the better.

Register on company websites

Large international and/or local companies including aviation firms such as Emirates and Fly Dubai or hospitality companies such as Marriot; media and advisory ones such as Reuters, or finance firms such as KPMG, Emirates NBD, and PWC still have a fully functional career portal within their website. 

This is much more direct than going through a third-party website such as LinkedIn. Most of these portals can take a bit of time to submit applications as you have to be quite detailed on your entries for work history or qualifications, but the best part here is that you can directly track your application.

Join Digital Networking Events (there are plenty of Zoom calls being offered)

Experts agree that the most connected people are often the most successful. When you invest in your relationships — professional and personal — it can pay you back in dividends throughout the course of your career. Networking will help you develop and improve your skillset, stay on top of the latest trends in your industry, keep a pulse on the job market, meet prospective mentors, partners, and clients, and gain access to the necessary resources that will foster your career development. Create a digital network and widen your community (here is a great site you can join https://www.signature-network.com/) )

Register for the Dubai Virtual Labor Market

The Virtual Labour Market is designed to support establishments that have excess labour, and offer job opportunities for labourers living in the UAE and are impacted by the precautionary measures taken to confront coronavirus. The MOHRE virtual labor market's electronic platform enables job seekers inside and outside the UAE to enter their CVs and create their own profiles. Job seekers can also see the vacancies announced by UAE companies at careers.mohre.gov.ae. and apply for these jobs. The use of AI will ease the process of matching the requirements of the jobs announced by UAE companies with the job seekers’ profiles, created and uploaded on the website in an interactive manner.  Recruiters can search for qualified candidates by creating their own page to display their vacancies and also by searching the website for job seekers. This way, it helps both, the recruiters and the job seekers to find what they are looking for.

Be aware that at the time of writing, no fresh visas will be issued. All residents in the UAE whose visas are expiring between March 1 and the end of the year will be able to stay in the country without penalties until December 2020 and will continue to be legal residents in the UAE, As per the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

My advice- prepare now for later!!

How to be ahead of your competitors in your job search

Studies have shown that more than half of the world's population is searching for suitable work that makes them happy and helps them to earn their living.

This is not only limited to the unemployed people; even some who are employed already are still looking for jobs. This is due to the fact that many are not comfortable with their current jobs; hence, they keep on looking for careers that'll suit them almost perfectly.

Following the above passage, you, as a job seeker, will understand that you're not the only one on this table. There are millions of people out there that are also searching. The two central questions that are often at the forefront of this process are: Is this work appropriate for me, and how can I stand out from the crowd?

Hence, to be ahead of others in this search and have a better chance to win a job, there are different things you need to put into work.

Be ahead of the game

DON'T JUST FOCUS ON THE SPECIFIED JOB TITLE.

One of the mistakes many job seekers make is focusing on the job title. One thing they don't know, however, is that many times, their skills suit the listed job.

Don't scroll past a job because the title just doesn't suit what you're looking for. Endeavor to go through the job description and the skills required section. There's a possibility of the job being perfect for the skills you have.

Always identify your skillset to find the right job for you.

WHERE AND WHAT DO YOU SEARCH?

Exploit online resources and corporate websites to discover job opportunities. Look for jobs on job search websites like LinkedIn and business career pages. When using sites such as LinkedIn, start with a particular job title that interests you, then use the Similar Jobs or Suggested Jobs feature to expand your search and identify additional opportunities. In other words, distill your search

USE YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES TO NARROW DOWN THE SEARCH

Don't just apply to works for the application's sake. Have you researched the company thoroughly? Consider the position and the company — do they fit you and your tastes? Why do they suit you? This is not just you fitting the job, the job needs to fit you as well. Are you willing to relocate if that's the case? What work-cultures are obtainable in the company? Are the employees there happy?

After answering these questions, you can go ahead to apply for the position.

 KEEP RECORDS OF THE JOB LISTING

Endeavor to save interesting vacancies for later reference. It is advised that you Copy and paste or write down the list and job description for each job you wish to apply to for future reference. Many employers can delete a job list before filling a position if they believe they have the right candidates in their candidate pool. When you save the job description, you have the qualifications that you can look back on when preparing for a potential job interview.

 UPDATE AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME FOR EACH JOB

 Does your resume speak to any specific job at a time? Even though your resume may have been smartly composed, it may not speak to a particular job. Think about how many applicants each listed job gets daily. How does your resume stand out among equals? Hence, always tailor your resume to each job. impressivecv.com saves you the time and effort to customize your resume for each job that you apply for, and I can assure you that it's worth it. 

According to Glassdoor “While your resume will contain many of the same elements from job to job – skills, experience, education, etc. – customization based on the job description can often give you a competitive edge.”

 YOUR COVER LETTER IS NOT A NARRATED RESUME

 Many job seekers make the mistake of turning their cover letters into resumes. Your cover letter is the place to tell the recruiter more about yourself. It is not a narration of your resume. Why is this job interesting to you, and why are you the perfect person for it? Tell a story. Talk about the pain in the industry and how you will help to solve it. What are you bringing to the table? Make your cover letter sing. 

Don't know how to write the perfect cover letter? impressiveCv.com is here to solve your problem and get you into the door.

Cover letters are still often required

Did you like this article? I am in recent collaboration with Ms Goodnes. Please feel free to comment below your thoughts.

Goodness is a student copywriter and content marketer on Upwork. She authors in-depth guides and articles that teach and inform people on ways to manage, grow and scale their their personal strengths thereby adding value to their lives.You can find Goodness on
LinkedIn.