Get Hired! 7 Smart Ways to Increase Your Chances of Landing Your Dream Job

That's not a valid work email account. Please enter your work email (e.g. you@yourcompany.com)
Please enter your work email
(e.g. you@yourcompany.com)

Fireworks

How close are you to landing your dream job?

Do you know that, on average, 250 resumes are received for each corporate job opening ? Or Monster receives as many as 427,000 resume submissions every week?

In other words, the odds are already stacked against you when it comes to getting any job, let alone your dream job. With the right steps, though, you can give yourself an edge over others and easily land that perfect role. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

1. Build Your Online Presence

Research shows that 75 percent of recruiters and hiring managers check the social media profiles of their candidates when making hiring decisions, and 94 percent of recruiters use social media to recruit.

The Internet plays more of a role in the hiring process than most job seekers realize, and it’s time to take advantage of this fact.

Make sure you have a fully developed online presence that paints yourself in a positive light, and you’ll inch closer to your dream job.

2. Apply for More Than One Job

Many job seekers wrongly assume that they only have to apply to one job at a company. This is not so. If you find out that you are highly qualified for more than one job, it is okay to apply to more than one job. As long as you aren’t just applying to every job opening, this will give you an edge and increase your chances of getting hired.

3. Be Creative on Your Resume

Do you know that recruiters spend about 5-7 seconds looking at your resume? Yes, you have that little time to make an impression and stand out.

You can give yourself an advantage by being creative with your resume. This article by Jon Lee shares some creative ways to make your resume stand out. It’s definitely worth a look!

4. Perfect Your LinkedIn Profile

LaptopTo many job seekers, LinkedIn is just another website. However, a community with 400 million members is nothing to sniff at. Research shows that a massive 89 percent of all recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn, and that 94 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn for recruiting. Unfortunately, only 36 percent of candidates are active on LinkedIn.

Creating a LinkedIn profile gives you an advantage over the competition. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you should fix that ASAP. If you do have a LinkedIn profile, make sure it is properly completed and includes all necessary details about your experience, qualifications, education, and work history. That will make it easy for recruiters to decide whether or not you’re a fit for them.

5. Start a Website

Employers value creativity. Starting a website – and keeping it active –communicates that you’re a creative and passionate person.

There have been countless instances of people landing their dream jobs – even without trying – simply because they had a website. A notable example is Leslie Samuel, who was able to get his dream job as a lecturer due to the success of his website. Then there’s Matt Epstein, who created a website asking Google to hire him. The site went viral, and though he didn’t land a job at Google, Epstein received more job offers than he knew what to do with. He eventually settled with a job that he loved.

6. Understand the ‘Four Key Areas’

It has been observed that, when making hiring decisions, recruiters pay attention to four key areas. The four areas are:

– Education

– Job titles

– Companies you’ve worked at

– Start and end dates of the jobs you’ve held

Pay special attention to these four areas on your resume. Make this information easy for recruiters to find, and you’ll increase your chances of getting hired.

7. Don’t Ignore Your Cover Letter

PenMany recruiters agree that a cover letter presents the chance for a candidate to show their personality and passion for the job. It’s very important for you to use the cover letter in this way. A weak cover letter would get you nowhere; make sure that yours clearly communicates your passion for the job.

And there you have it: seven simple, but profoundly important steps to take when you’re on the hunt for your dream job. It’s up to you to wow your ideal employer, so take every opportunity you get to show them you’re the candidate they need!

By John Stevens