TOP TIPS TO MAKE YOU STAND OUT DURING A HIRING PROCESS
The attention and steps you take from the moment you receive an opportunity, to the interview point plays a huge role in determining the outcome of the hiring process, and whether you’ll be selected or rejected.
The intro statement was not to scare you or put you under pressure, but to bring your attention to why some candidates stand out during a hiring process and some others do not.
This article will walk you through important tips to take note of while applying to a job and how to prepare for an interview when invited for one. It is important to add at this point, that both virtual and physical interviews should be regarded with same measure of importance. Interviewers regard both as the same, and so should you!
So, let’s go!!!
The hiring process is rightly called so because of the many activities within it. The process usually starts from the point applications are put out, to the eventual decision making by the hiring team of selected participants and reaching out to them. We will be walking through that process and providing helpful tips to guide you.
- Research about the organization
This is one of the very first things we advice you always do when you see a job posting. You most probably are hearing about this company for the first time. What do they do? What industry do they fall under? What is their pay range? What are their values and vision?
Researching about the organization gives you an answer to the questions above and more. It guides you to first understanding how they operate and if the job would be a great fit for you. It gives an insight on the role you are applying to, the skills you need and tips on how to tailor your application and resume to fit into it.
More importantly, if you are very concerned about your growth if you get selected for the role, researching about the organization would provide you with an understanding of staff retainment and growth within the organization.
All these are important to helping you understand the organization beyond the job description put out, and tailoring your application to suit the needs or style of the organization.
Your research can be done in many ways, some of which include:
- A simple google search
- Search on social media
- Interaction with current or past staff of the organization
- Consultations with some senior colleagues, mentors or industry professionals.
2. Make your application count
After researching the organization, putting out a good application is the next most important step. Like the subtitle says, you need to make your application stand out. There are possibly going to be hundreds of people applying to this same role, plus the application tracking system many companies now adopt to sift through submitted resume, you thus need to make your application solid.
Remember you now have an understanding of how the job description, and company values, use that to your advantage. Here’s how:
- Tailor your resume to fit perfectly into the job description. From your research about the organization and job description, you must have come across some specific skills required by the role. Ensure you tailor your resume to highlight those skills, and experiences.
- Your cover letter should not exceed the requirements stated out. If there are specifics required, add them to the cover letter. Using a very generalized cover letter might pass you off as lazy, and not attentive to details, closely follow instructions given.
- If there are added questions, answer them slowly, in a concise and clear way. Avoid ambiguity with your answers, they should be straight forward and clear enough with answers directly tied to the
- Ensure all documents requested for are complete! Don’t submit an incomplete application, this rules you out almost immediately from the whole process.
- Submit your application on time, preferably before the deadline to avoid last minute rush and mistakes.
3. Interviewing? Prepare adequately
After submission of your resume and application, you would be invited for an interview with the hiring team. This is an opportunity to physically or virtually meet with the team, and get to know about the job you have applied to. In this phase, you’re looking to both impress the hiring team, and converse with them on important aspects of working with the organization.
Some very helpful tips include:
- Show up early! Don’t show up to an interview after the interviewers. This is a major red flag, and could give a negative impression to the interviewers. Again, show up early.
- Ask constructive questions around the job description. Asking questions opens up conversations and engages the interviewer on important aspects of the job and organization.
- It passes off a great interest in the job. This could be of great advantage to you.
- Try to create a connection or a meeting point with the interviewer. It could be from a previous experience of yours or an answer to a question you are asked. leverage the opportunity to engage the interviewers and team.
Overall, ensure to go for interviews prepared, the tips above provide specific guides to preparing.
4. Technical assessments
For many technical roles, technical assessments are very important aspects and part of the interview process. Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! This is very important. Prepare before hand, get some interview tips or questions around the skills and tools you would be assessed on.
Remember to show up early also. Show up early, and prepared!
5. Following-up after your interview
If after a few weeks, the organization hasn’t gotten back to you. Following-up with an email or message is okay. A follow-up email, draws their attention to your application and makes them give a response as soon as possible.
Here’s a short sample:
Hi hiring manager, I hope this email meets you well.
Thank you for considering me for the job role put up by your team, as I am excited by the prospect of joining your team.
I am however, doing a follow up as I haven’t heard from the team yet.
If there are any concerns or questions, kindly reach out to me, and I’ll be available to answer them.
Looking to hear from you soon.
Regards,
XXX
In summary, there are no hard and fast rules to preparing for a hiring process, as the rules are mostly tailored towards specific company needs. However, the tips we have provided give a general outlook to how these processes go and how to adequately prepare for it.
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