6 strategies you can use to catch a recruiter’s eye

Are you anxious about landing a job after your studies? There is a simple way to allay your anxieties — figure out and explore some strategies that can improve your chance of getting noticed by recruiters. Such strategies can help you become job-ready in a world that is gradually progressing towards work-from-home or hybrid mode.

Why do you need to rethink your job strategies

The pandemic has impacted the job market, with new job types and practices emerging every day. You'll need to figure out some strategies to stay ahead of the pack in this situation. Implementing a set of simple strategies can come in handy as you try looking for a job in a highly competitive market that is evolving rapidly.

Job strategies for catching the eye of a recruiter:

Tweak your resume

Recruiters are bombarded with resumes every day. You need to tweak your resume according to their requirements to impress them. There are some tricks that you can apply to stand out from the crowd:

• Focus on keywords: Most companies employ an applicant tracking system (ATS) to browse through resumes. Make your resume personalised and include relevant keywords from the job posting to ensure that your resume is spotted by ATS.

• Add a summary and skills section: It’s essential to highlight in your resume what you would bring to the table. In the summary section, highlight your most important skills and accomplishments. Customise your resume by including keywords and phrases from the job description.

Prepare yourself for video interviews

Remote work has become a reality during the pandemic. Work from home and in hybrid mode has mostly replaced traditional office jobs. In this situation, most companies have come up with video interviews to recruit potential candidates. Preparing for a video interview is critical because, well, first impressions, including how you look and act, always count, even in remote work!

• Background: Preparing a background in advance is important when you’re about to sit for a video interview. Try to keep the background simple even if it is a virtual background.

• Internet connectivity: Having a stable internet connection is probably the most important factor when you face the interviewer. Your chances of getting a remote job absolutely depends on how your internet behaves during your video interview.

• Punctuality: One of the quickest ways to get rejected is to keep your interviewer waiting. Remember to join the video interview at least five minutes before the scheduled time.

Prepare for asynchronous interviews (AI)

Asynchronous interview (AI) is a prescreening tool used by employers to assess whether or not to advance candidates to the next round. Prepare to answer five to seven general interview questions on a video screen with around 30 seconds between them. A fixed time is frequently set for candidates to record their responses.

Highlight remote work experience

It’s important to highlight your experience of working in remote settings in your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. You can also put “remote” next to your employment titles in the professional experience part of your resume. You can also elaborate on the technologies utilised for your remote work experience or internships.

Strong presence on LinkedIn

Recruiters and companies often match a candidate's LinkedIn profile to their resume. Creating a strong LinkedIn profile will help your job search significantly.

• Fill out the profile thoroughly and keep it up to date

• Make a custom profile URL

• Use a professional image as your profile picture

• Get your headline right

• Don’t copy your summary from the resume

Develop personal skills

Developing personal skills and constantly upgrading them is important as you look for jobs. These will help you communicate efficiently with potential employers and convey your message across the table.

• Confidence: Your confidence level is the first thing that will be noticed during the interview. Showing confidence — not overconfidence — in your abilities is the first step of securing a job.

• Communication: Your ability to communicate will help you describe your domain-specific abilities to the employer. If you can present your ideas lucidly, it can unlock the door of enormous possibilities for you.