I have a question for you:
When was the last time you successfully completed the entire process of submitting your résumé, being called into an interview, acing the interview and then getting the job offer?
Has it been a few years?
I ask because, when folks are just re-entering the job market, they often tell me it feels like they’re spinning their wheels. They apply for every job they can, but keep getting knocked back.
If this is happening to you right now, take heart:
After several years of being out of the job market, it’s natural to feel a little rusty, and it’s normal for the process to feel overwhelming at times.
You will land your dream job if you stay in the game.
However, it’s important to recognize that the whole process has changed a bit since you last went through this. Even if you were applying for jobs and landing interviews just one year ago, what worked then might not necessarily work in 2018.
The rules for each step continuously shift – especially the rules for résumés.
The qualities that make a résumé stand out (for all the right reasons) are always shifting.
In the current job market, excellent qualifications by themselves are often no longer enough to stand out.
Remember that you are competing with a lot of applicants that may have the same skill set as yours, making it harder to get the attention of the hiring manager.
How do you stand out among the rest of the applicants, then?
It all boils down to your work experience in the past. It is important to highlight your achievements in your previous company and how you were able to be of help to the organization.
If you think it has been a long time since your last job, get to know the current trends of your industry. You can enroll in different workshops or learn a new skill that is related to your field.
Nowadays, you have to accept the fact that having a stellar resume isn’t enough to land your dream job. You have to exert more effort than before, especially if you were out of the loop for quite some time. Instead of simply “spraying and praying” many resumes to jobs of limited interest, focus on landing specific jobs at companies that you care about. Use your resume as just one tool to start a conversation.
