How Effective Are You at Getting Hired?

Have you ever wondered if what you’re doing to get hired is helping you a little, a lot, or not at all? How do you assess your job search successes and failures? How does a hiring manager decide whether or not to hire you, and what does he or she think of your job interview and who you are as a candidate? If you’re getting hired, you’re making all the right moves; you’re doing a great job. If you are not asked to join a company, then your method of applying for jobs is ineffective. Just because you aren’t getting directions to the human resources office to pick up your work ID doesn’t mean you aren’t a good candidate for the job. It means you haven’t mastered job interviews and haven’t put together the best career search strategy.

When a job seeker is not hired, he has no idea what advantage the hired job seeker has over the other job applicants. The only way to measure your job search is to ensure that all of the elements of a successful job search are put into action. Before calling you in for an interview, hiring managers use a process of elimination that begins with resumes, phone interviews, and any other tools that cross their paths. As a result, physical appearance is not the deciding factor, though it can be a final and determining factor.

However, it is the first set of personal branding tools that you submit that alerts a hiring manager to not toss your documents to the curb or in the trash during the recruiting and selection process. The decision maker believes he is hiring a job candidate who is excellent at doing all of the right things to stand out. If you stick to the traditional or even old methods of getting hired, you will have already missed out on the chance to get your foot in the door.

You’ve either gotten it or you haven’t at this point. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person; there are just ways of doing things that require you to think outside the box, which you must for the new job hunting scene.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking about what you might be doing wrong when it comes to getting hired.

1. Examine your resume and other job search marketing materials for errors and poor presentation.

2. Develop a career search strategy that incorporates all job search marketing tools.

3. Put your job search strategy into action.

4. Understand who you are and what the company is looking for-Do not apply to a company if you are not a match or a fit. Don’t waste your time or the time of the company by applying for a position for which you are not qualified.

5. Follow up with your resume submission and interviewing process.

6. Keep a record of your search, submission dates, times, and results. Pay attention to time frames and keep track of what can go wrong. Correct any errors.

7. Don’t give up and keep trying! Hiring managers have no idea who you are until they look at your resume for the six seconds it takes them to read it.

Hearing this phrase over and over is often ignored, but it is a true indicator of eliminating resumes and job candidates that the hiring manager is uninterested in contacting. My message to job seekers is to take the time to present themselves correctly, as well as to learn the job search criteria and what the hiring manager is looking for in the six seconds of elimination.

Not only should you make a new resolution for the New Year, but you should also try a new type of job search.