I have great news that I don’t think most job seekers really understand fully.
“Landing a job is more about the choices you make than about your skill set or experience.”
I’ll quickly share with you just 4 quick things that require absolutely ZERO talent, but will immediately and exponentially improve your attractiveness as a candidate.
This blog originated from a video that’s posted on our YouTube Channel; here’s a quick link to this video if you’d rather watch it: https://youtu.be/JcVoQWltHkI
1. Simply expressing interest in the position within the email or cover letter you’re sending to the employer will distinguish you, and that doesn’t take a special talent or skill set, just a decision that you can make to do it or not. I get a truly amazing amount of email with just the words “resume attached” in the body, or worse, absolutely nothing in the body of the email. You will stand out from the crowd simply by adding a couple sentences about why you are interested the job specifically and the company, and again, that’s a choice you can make.
2. Proofreading your resume, and having someone else do it. Do you know how many resumes I get every day with massive amounts of typos? Just last week I got an resume for a senior management position from Michael (according to his email address and cover letter), but on his resume he spelled his first name Micheal. Seriously. Just simply proofreading the resume will get you ahead of AT LEAST 25% of the other applicants. That’s a choice you make to either proofread it or not.
3. Showing up to the interview on time, meaning 10 minutes early, not 30 minutes early, not 5 minutes late, being on time sets a good tone for the interview. Statistically, I can tell you that on average at least one person, and sometimes several of the other candidates interviewing for your position will show up way too early, or they’ll be late. You’ll beat them in this category if you CHOOSE do so.
4. Sending a thank you note after the interview is also a choice. It’s doesn’t have to be a strategic, action inspiring note, of course those are better, but just any kind of a thank you note (that has been proofread) will set you apart from your competition. That’s a choice.
Those are just 4 things, but there are so many more: the research you do before the interview is a choice, the subjects you talk about during the interviews and at networking events can be planned, how you dress for the interview is your choice, your body language during the interview, and your follow up afterwards are all choices you make that will place you in the top 30% of candidates available.
As someone who has interviewed literally thousands of candidates, I can tell you with certainty, these choices that you have the option to make will improve your odds of landing a job drastically, and they have absolutely nothing to do with talent.
The most qualified candidate won’t always get the job, so making the right choices is AS important, if not MORE important than skills. Today you can choose to make the right choices.
If you know someone who could use a positive message, I invite you to Like/Share this article so more people can find it to get the help they need.
Don’t forget to check out our free youtube channel for more job search tactics.
In the meantime, decide to start making the right choices today, it will help you. Job search doesn’t have to be about the luck of the draw. You can take more control than you think. You can do this. It’s time to get to work.
