How to Make Yourself More Attractive to Prospective Employers

Finding employment can be a very stressful event for just about every job seeker. It is imperative that you do everything that you can to set yourself apart from the rest of your fellow applicants as well as to stand out enough to be able to be called in for an interview.

Before putting your resume out there, you need to ensure that you have done what you can to present yourself in the highest standard of excellence. Take a look at the following advice to prepare for your job search and later the job interview successfully.

The Resume

Before you even look for a job, you need to make sure that your resume is up to snuff. All too often, resumes are not up to date and do not tell the story potential employers want to hear. Take the time to make sure that you have accounted for all of your education, work experience, accreditations, certificates, skills, and volunteer work. Do not get caught up in too many details; however, make your resume something prospective employers want to know more about.

Where to Look

It can be tempting to send your resume out to anyone who is looking to hire someone. This may not be the best thing for your job search. This can create false leads, which can lead to discouragement. Becoming discouraged can then lead to taking the first job that you are offered, which is not always the best option for you. When looking for employment, you must ensure credibility.

One surefire way in which to create credibility is to use a high-quality employment agency. By using a firm that can pair you with the right employer, stress can be relieved from this daunting process. The right agency will have quality clients (your future employer) for you to be able to have your resume circulated to.

Following Up

Regardless of if you are using an agency or doing your own employment search, follow-up is crucial. Employers want to know that the applicants are serious about working for their company. You cannot leave it to chance that you will get a callback, regardless of how extraordinary your resume may be.

When you submit your resume, include in your cover letter that you will be following up and let them know when. Do what you can to reach the decision maker or at least the person who is responsible for scheduling the interviews. Most importantly, do not forget to follow up when you say that you will as this speaks volumes for what kind of employee you will be. If you are using an agency, make sure to follow up with them on a regular basis.

References

Professional and personal references can accent your resume. Depending on the job you are applying for, you can submit your references with your resume; however you may want to wait to submit your references until the actual interview. Being able to leave the interviewer with more to consider can be a very effective action for the interview process. Your references can enhance your interview and give your prospective employer something additional to reflect upon other than the notes that were taken during the interview.

The objective to attaining employment is being able to set yourself apart from all of the other applicants. Remember that you are marketing yourself and what you are selling is your past experience. Be creative and follow through. Make yourself someone to remember so that when it comes time for your future employer to make a hiring decision, you are on the top of the list.

Dawn Campbell is a Human Resources Consultant and blogs for hirepulse.com.au a site where a contractor can find work from clients. You can also use their services to find contractors for all kinds of work from IT consulting to mining contractors!