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What will it take to be the winning candidate and land a top job in 2016? We’ve come up with ten top tips to help your 2016 job search run much smoother.
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How to get a job in 2016: disrupt your CV
12 February 2016
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11 minute read
Topping the list is disrupting your CV by adding a digital element to help you stand out. After all, having the right qualifications, skills and experience are no longer enough. Today even accountancy & finance professionals need to be willing to show your digital expertise, while also integrating social media into your job search.
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It’s also important to be relevant by targeting realistic jobs and building a relevant network of connections.
Here’s our full list of tips to help your 2016 job search run smoothly:
1. Disrupt your CV: We’ve all heard of digital disruption, so think about how you could ‘disrupt’ your CV and add a digital element to it. While a traditional CV remains the accepted way to show you have the necessary skills and experience for the role, you could add a link to a blog post, website or video that demonstrates your expertise in a particular area. Adding such links at the end of your CV will help you stand out – provided they are relevant to the role you have applied for.
2. Align your online and offline CVs: Hiring managers will research you online, so make sure the CV you submit matches your online profile. Any discrepancies throw up a red flag. At the very least you’ll be asked some hard questions in the interview, and at worst your CV will be removed from consideration.
3. Be open to freelancing: Expect the number of contract and temporary assignments to continue to surge ahead. With employers looking for flexible headcounts and jobseekers looking to expand their industry experience and networks, freelancing is an option worth considering.
4. Target realistic jobs: Employers are becoming more impatient with candidates who apply for a role that they are not suitable for. In 2016 it is therefore important to be realistic in the roles you consider, and clearly demonstrate your suitability for a role based upon your experience.
5. Promote yourself: You need to go outside your comfort zone and promote yourself on social media to get ahead in 2016. A LinkedIn account will not be enough if you are not active online – so like, post, share and comment on relevant content, ask for endorsements, be active in relevant groups and showcase examples of your work and achievements.
6. Study relevant qualifications: Keep up-to-date with industry developments. If you need to undertake training make sure it’s the right training. So do your research and work towards the qualifications that employers actually value.
7. Be a change agent: In our increasingly technologically sophisticated world of work it’s inevitable that significant changes lie ahead. Employers are starting to look for candidates with an appetite for change, so in 2016 make sure you are known for driving innovation, integrating technology and learning best practice from others in order to make informed changes to the way business is done.
8. Size doesn’t matter: If you choose not to hide your LinkedIn connections, be aware that employers can make assumptions about you based on the quality of your online connections. For many employers, the value you can bring to their business is an important consideration in their hiring decision. Your connections should show potential employers that you are associated with people relevant to your field, which can be a powerful endorsement of your reach.
9. Learn to cope with rejection: Highly-skilled professionals are in high demand, but that doesn’t mean employers will leap at the first candidate they find. As well as the required technical skills you need to have the right industry background and cultural fit, which means it could take a few applications before you find the right role for you. Don’t take the rejection personally.
10. Stay on top of a recruiter’s talent list: There are a few simple ways to stay at the top of your recruiter’s talent list. These include keeping your recruiter informed by updating them if your circumstances change, following their advice, and keeping your word. So if you say you’re only interested in permanent work then decline an interview for a more lucrative contract role your credibility with your recruiter will take a hit. Similarly, trust your recruiter and don’t go over their head to contact an employer direct.
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