Have you recently been laid off or terminated, our maybe you have just graduated from university and are looking for your first job?
Continue reading for 5 tips that will help you to get noticed in spite of the current market situation.
Understanding the challenges and perils job seekers undergo and the difficulties many of those face, who lost their jobs due to the recent crisis, I am posting this article in the hope that it may help my colleagues and friends who have been affected.
This post was met with overwhelming responses. Within minutes of release my messenger overflowed with requests for jobs from all parts of the world, mostly from people I had never met before.
Unfortunately, the recent COVID-19 crisis had impacted our company as well. There was little I could do, to accommodate all the requests. This incident inspired me to put together a list of tips to improve your chances to succeed in in your job search through your linked in network.
Before we dive into action, I would like to highlight one approach, that you should avoid at all cost.
1. DON’T INTRODUCE YOURSELF WITH ... ‘ PLEASE FIND ME A JOB ‘
Please, and I repeat, please, refrain from connecting with a person you don’t know, asking them to find you a job during your first introduction. Unless, the person you are writing to is a recruitment manager, I have yet to come across a person that was hired through this approach. Think about it! Why would anyone take time out of their busy schedules to engage into a job search for a person they don’t know, for free!
2. AVOID GENERAL JOB REQUESTS, BE SPECIFIC
Your network will support you, BUT, you need to do your homework first, and make it easy for your network to help. Visit the linked in jobs page and the local job portals to find opportunities. Alternatively type ‘Jobs UAE’ into the google search browser and you will find exactly one million search results with job portals and links that offer opportunities.
If you are interested in a particular company, be sure to visit the company website as well, as most companies have their own career portals.
Research if there are any openings at that company and whether your experiences and skills match those openings.
Once you have identified an opportunity, apply for the posting with your latest updated resume through the careers portal and/ or the company website, and note down the reference number. Now you are ready to reach out to your network and put it to use.
Find out who of your connections is or was employed at that company for which you have just applied.
Linked in has a wonderful feature that allows you to view the people you are connected to within a particular organization, under the ‘People’ Tab on the organizations LinkedIn page.
Reach out to your connections with a short message, introducing yourself. Emphasize that you have noticed an opening within their organization for which you believe that you are uniquely suited, due to your particular skills and talents.
Attach a PDF version of your most recent resume and inform the connection that you have applied on the job portal, share your reference number here, and ask for a few minutes of their time to highlight your resume to the respective hiring manager. Share how you and your contributions will add value to the organization. Be interesting and authentic in your approach.
This connection may become your sponsor and your ally, even after you have been recruited. Treat him/ her with outmost care! Respect the limited time available to them.
Maybe you have even something that you could offer your connection in return for extending a helping hand? Personalize, show that you are thorough, proactive and that you care. Do this with all your connections within your network.
Assess your network and seek out opportunities to expand your connections within the particular organization.
Most applications through job portals will never be seen by the human eye due to their unique algorithms in place. In fact, I have been asked by many organizations to sign up on the career portal only after the interview stage had been completed and an offer was to be negotiated. You may be the perfect candidate, but if your application does not match the respective key words, you will be dismissed before your resume has ever been noticed.
Do not despair if you do not have any connections at the organization of interest yet. Check if someone within your reach could refer you to someone within this organization to help you to expand your network.
Even if, for whatever reason, you will not be selected, the outlined approach allows you to be remembered favorably by your connections and empower much more meaningful future relations.
Yes, it is time consuming and there is no guaranteed success. But, your chances of actually getting hired have improved exponentially.
3. SPREAD KINDNESS AND CREATE VALUE
Make use of the power of value creation and reciprocation. People who create value get hired, grow in their careers and thrive. The more value you create, the more opportunities will present itself. Period. Everyone has something to offer. Now is the time to put your hard earned and learned experiences and skills to use. Think outside the box.
Your aim is to get your resume recommended to the hiring manager of the organization for which you have just applied through your connections. Offer support to your connection of interest and your network at large. Can you improve a website or linked in profile, write the next blog, offer administrative support, teach a new skill, conduct research, repair something, paint or design, stitch... the opportunities are endless and the motivation to help you, of a person you have helped in the past, free of cost, improves exponentially.
There are so many benefits in this approach:
Spreading kindness, even with nothing expected in return, makes us feel good about ourselves and supports our emotional wellbeing.
We build meaningful and close connections and friendships and contribute to a more peaceful and loving future.
If enough people are interested in your free service. There may very well be a business opportunity.
Having received something meaningful and tangible establishes a psychological connection within the brain that improves the chances of that person to remember you in the future.
Create as much value for as many people as you can, while being mindful of your own commitments and time available, and you will see that opportunities will knock.
4. BECOME YOUR OWN CEO
Recruitment in the UAE is a lengthy process. I have seen hiring processes from interview to contract signing extending beyond 8 month.
The lockdown is a perfect opportunity to reflect on your skills and talents and ways you could put them to good use.
Start mapping out your next business venture, think about products or services that would enhance people’s life's within your community. What problems can you solve. Problems that you yourself may be facing right now. Develop your business canvas and your business plan. Create your pitch and your products.
Think about ways how people would come to know about you or your service.
Assess how your purpose and values fit into the picture. Check out competitors who may be already offering similar products or services and identify additional areas that you could bring to the table. Utilize this downtime to re-define yourself.
Linked in offers a mentoring service as well which may come in handy while defining your next move. Linked in also provides plenty of groups and professional networks which you can subscribe to easily.
Start engaging the community through your posts, insights and comments. In the end you may decide that you don’t need that job after all and prefer to create your own company instead.
5. KEEP MOVING AND STAY POSITIVE
Finally, and this is my last piece of advise, don’t give up! As dire as the situation may be, help comes often from unexpected places. Stay active, engage your social media platforms, focus on value creation, expand your network, knock on doors, ... The situation may be unpleasant for now, BUT, there always is a light at the end of the tunnel. The world operates in waves. After every low, there is a high. And this too shall pass.
For more information, career guidance or start ups consultancy please reach out to me or visit my website www.beljaflah.com.
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