New Point Recruitment | recruitment job seeker services, gold coast

We speak with so many applicants on a daily basis and screen through hundreds of resumes weekly on behalf of our clients. We have a lot of successes through choosing candidates that responded correctly, acted appropriately and were able to sell their skills and experience to win the job. What about those that didn’t make the cut?

What went wrong?

Based on our experiences in the market there are some specific things that stood out to prevent a candidate from proceeding further to the interview stage and we would like to share them to help you improve your chances. The first thing is being honest with yourself and asking if you meet the criteria of the role advertised. Secondly, get feedback from those that are close to you and ask them to be honest in their appraisal of not just your application but how you come across. Here is our list for you to reflect on:

Submitting a low quality resume – What we mean by this is an out of date resume, no contact details, poor spelling and grammar, poor formatting, big gaps in your employment history, scanned documents with scribbled phone numbers on them, inappropriate pictures
No cover letter – The best way to think of a cover letter is that it introduces you, your intentions, why you are applying and your skills and experience relative to the role. If you are coming from interstate it is a good idea to state this and your lead time before commencing
Not meeting the criteria advertised – If you don’t have a cover letter supporting your application we just have a resume to go on – if we can’t see anything that fits, you’re out. A lot of people wish to change careers and we understand this. If it is more of an entry level role, you may have a shot if you outline why you would suit this new opportunity in a cover letter
Being aggressive or forceful in your nature – at the end of the day, we are your first line of call. Every interaction either electronic, verbal or in person is part of a screening/interview process. Nobody likes to be treated disrespectfully even if the conversation isn’t going your way – it’s just an immediate no.
Going missing – From time to time we have candidates that just don’t turn up for interview, then can’t be contacted via email or their mobile even though we only spoke to them the day before – it’s 2016, we know you love your phone and it’s in your pocket – just answer it – this is an immediate no and future no, it also goes into our CRM for the next time you apply… and you will
Social presence – We all love social media and there’s heaps of debate about whether you should judge someone for a job based on what they posted on their personal page but guess what, it matters – you just can’t un-see something. If you posted a picture of you sitting there half naked smoking a joint and decide that you want to keep your Facebook page “Public” it may come back to bite you – it’s as simple as that, you are out

You have to remember that these are things that are all picked up before we even decide to bring you in for interview and can have an impact on your chances at moving to the next stage. If you find that you need to clean up your Facebook page a bit, improve your resume or start incorporating a cover letter into your applications, it may just give you the help you need to get over the line and be on the path to obtain what could be your dream job or career.

If you need help or clarification on any of the points above, always feel free to contact our office on 1300 558 979 to discuss how we can help or even represent you in the market.