In this economy, finding a job is incredibly difficult. Especially when you realize you have to stand out among all the other applicants to even get an interview. Even just a well-done, impressive resume won’t cut it.
You have to rise above and use all the tools at your disposal.
Here are 5 tips I have used in the past to help me land great jobs.
Film Short Videos
Filming very short (less than two minutes) videos of yourself is a great way to stand out to recruiters. It shows you put in more effort than just the bare minimum required in a job application.
It also gives them a better idea of who you are as a person, and if you’ll be a good culture fit. That alone is something job hunters don’t realize HR reps are looking for in a candidate. Culture fit. If someone can do the job well, but rubs everyone else in the company the wrong way, can’t work with others, or has a bad attitude, that person won’t get hired.
In the video, briefly cover why you want to work for the company, why you’d be a good fit, what you bring to the table, and end the video with a call to action.
This should look something like: “Send me an email and let’s set up a time to chat next week! Thanks for watching and I look forwards to hearing from you.” This is especially important if you are applying for a sales or marketing role.
It is crucial to keep this video short. You cannot hold their attention forever, and if you bore them, they’re less likely to want an interview with you. Quickly and clearly deliver your message, and end the video with the call to action.
I like to use Loom to film these videos, and often accompany them with a screen recording of either the company’s website, the job application, or a pitch deck (which I talk about more later in this post).
Build a Personal Website
The website is the modern-day portfolio. If you really want to impress someone, having a clean, professional looking website is incredibly important.
Not only is it the perfect place to talk about and feature yourself exclusively, but it also shows to the employer that you know how to build a website in some way or another.
Most application forms have a spot specifically for a website. I use and recommend using WordPress through Bluehost because it can be as simple or complex as you like, and allows you to own your domain. That alone adds a certain level of authority.
I recommend using your own first and last name as your domain so if your future employer searches your name in Google, your site is more likely to pop up.
Use the blogging abilities and write about and feature your past projects and lessons life has taught you, especially lessons you learned from past work experiences.
Design and Grow Your Portfolio
Having a page on your site dedicated specifically to your relevant past projects or work experiences is a great way to communicate your value in a much more concise way.
Every entry should be no more than 2-3 concise sentences and contain eye-catching images of your work. Take a look at my portfolio page on this very site.
How you choose to format it is up to you, but it should be easy to understand and scroll through quickly while still getting a good idea of your experience and abilities.
What to include in this portfolio is up to you and what your goal is. If you have written blog posts on any of these experiences, include those links in the 2-3 sentence description on the Portfolio page.
This is not the time to be humble. Own your accomplishments and blow the reader away.
Build a Pitch Deck
Using Keynote, Canva, or Powerpoint, put together a very short, visual version of your resume.
Include a slide tailored specifically for the company you’re sending it to. This should include their logo and a short description which includes the name of the job you’re applying for, as well as a couple things you liked about the company or role.
Your slide deck should have a slide for each significant skill or work experience you might want to mention, then for each application, pick and choose the most relevant slides for a custom deck aimed for each particular opportunity. This is a simpler, faster way to make your application stand out. Depending on the opportunity and the recruiter, it may even be more effective than a video.
It should not be particularly text-heavy. You should get your point across quickly and efficiently, so cut out any unnecessary words.
Do Your Research
Recruiters are getting hundreds of applications per job posting. They have to sort through to find the best ones. Most of them are generic resumes people are using to apply to dozens of jobs daily.
A lot of people barely even read the job description. It is a big enough problem that some job applications will have secret instructions, such as “In the ‘Other Information’ section of the application, please put the phrase ‘Monkey’s eat bananas’.” This is something I have personally seen in applications.
Aside from the basic reading of the application, take a moment to check out the company’s website. Try to find one or two things about the site you really like, and mention them somewhere in your application.
This research also helps you make sure this is a company you actually would like to be working for. Find a couple things you like, and mention them in your slide deck and/or video you send in.
If you found these tips helpful, please share with your friends! The job hunt is a tough task to tackle for anyone at any point, but it must be done. Good luck!