Employers receive, on average, 39 CVs for each vacancy they advertise. With so many applications to choose from, it’s crucial to understand what motivates an employer to select one candidate above all others.
Here are five reasons why employers tend to choose particular applicants, and what you can be doing to land your ideal role.
These days it’s essential to have researched a company, its background, culture and what they are looking for from future employees, before even beginning your application. If you sufficiently carry out research into the company, you may come across a challenge the business faces.
Consider this issue and think of a way in which you can help solve it. Don’t conjure up a generic idea, as this is unlikely to impress your interviewer or showcase your expertise. Instead, spend time researching and developing a strong, unique way in which you could potentially solve their problem.
Take suggestions you have to the interview along with any research you carried out. If it isn’t brought up by the interviewer, find the courage to introduce the topic, although try to do this without offending the employer. This will prove that you have an honest, proactive and unique approach to your work and will also showcase how you can help them grow as a business.
Highlight your previous experience and the skills you have developed by creating your own personal brand. This will allow you to show potential employers everything that you can bring to their company, helping to prove that you are perfect for the job.
A personal brand should work to modernise your CV, by bringing together your cover letter, contact details, education, interests, work experience and a portfolio of your previous work. Add your social profiles – not before you have made sure they are employer-friendly – as well as a link to your personal blog or website. Also consider creating your own strap line, no longer than 5 or 6 words, which summarises you in an exciting and engaging way.
Many of us have made the mistake of being too honest during an interview, regarding why we want to leave our current job.
Interviewers are looking for candidates to be positive about their current roles, even if it’s apparent that they are looking to leave. Finding reasons as to why you enjoy your present job can allow you to promote yourself as an upbeat individual and assure the interviewer that you won’t badmouth their own company, should you choose to leave them in the future.
Hiring candidates for their personality or skill set is a common debate. While some employers believe it is imperative for applicants to already have a fully developed set of skills and experience, others think that personality is crucial and a candidate with a strong personality and an eagerness to learn is the right way to go.
Whether or not you feel you have all the experience and skills that the employer has asked for, personality remains a huge part of the application process, as companies want to find out whether you would fit into their culture.
It is better to leave the interview feeling confident that you have shown your true self rather than thinking that you could have given more.
Employers can see straight through someone who doesn’t believe in what they are saying. When it comes to promoting yourself as the ideal candidate, having faith in yourself is an absolute must.
When preparing for your interview, think about any skills or opinions that you aren’t 100% sure on, and instead focus on those you completely understand and can deliver to the interviewer in a way that will blow them out of the water. They want to see that you have confidence in what you are discussing with them. Your faith in yourself can then in turn motivate them to hire you as their next employee.
These five motivators are just the first ways in which you can promote yourself as an ideal candidate and impress potential employers. However, while there is so much more you can do to personalise your application approach, these five qualities are an absolute must.
Author Bio
Rachel Campbell is a content writer for Portfolio Payroll, specialist recruiters who can offer advice and guidance to jobseekers looking for their next role in national, European or even international payroll.
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