Jobseekers are often confused by employers’ hiring demands. They hear that flexibility, versatility and cross-training are all the rage these days, but then recruiters seem to just as firmly believe that a candidate must "fit the profile" exactly.
Jobseekers are often confused by employers’ hiring demands. They hear that flexibility, versatility and cross-training are all the rage these days, but then recruiters seem to just as firmly believe that a candidate must "fit the profile" exactly.
The above conundrum demonstrates why boilerplate qualities with no substance or tangible metrics attached are meaningless. In the above example, flexibility, versatility and cross-training are the boilerplate qualities. Many job descriptions ask for these so they’re a given; jobs will need be decided on these factors. Instead you need to find what are the must-haves, the absolute requirements for the particular job you are after and how these prerequisites will be measured. Then, you need to position your background and skills to appeal specifically to these must-haves. When you do that, you fit the profile, and that’s what employers and recruiters want.
How does the position contribute to the bottom line? Focus on that responsibility and give specific examples of when you did just that. If these examples are in a different industry or functional context, explain explicitly how you would handle this in the industry/ function for which you are interviewing.
What are the management and reporting requirements of the position? If you need to manage direct reports, give examples of when you managed direct reports. If you need to report into different areas, give examples of when you worked cross-functionally.
What is the success culture of this company? Do your homework to identify what personality traits are specifically valued for this company. Then showcase how you have these specific traits that you know are valued, not just any traits that every company says they want (work ethic, team spirit, flexibility, versatility, blah, blah, blah).
Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).
5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.
Why Conventional Wisdom On Work Flexibility Is Always Wrong
In a previous post, I wrote about why employment statistics are always wrong. In a similar way, conventional wisdom on work flexibility is always wrong. It is impossible to generalize something that is inherently case-by-individual case. Therefore, any boilerplate advice or conventional wisdom is bound to omit a key consideration, underweight or overemphasize other considerations, or take too long-term or short-term of a view.
