How to Get Yourself Noticed as a Job Seeker – Part 2

So you’ve sampled the culinary delights and employment titbits on offer in How to Get Yourself Noticed as a Job Seeker – Part 1 and have come back hankering for more? We knew you would. Here are another five pointers for those looking to ruffle some recruitment feathers in all the right ways.

6. Ask probing questions

As well as successfully fielded the barrage of questions you’ll face in an interview, it’s important to go into battle armed with a few inquiries of your own. In this manner, you can highlight your interest in the position and underline just why you are the ideal candidate, but also vet your future boss to determine whether this is really the mast you want to be nailing your colours to.

For an idea of the best questions to fire at a would-be employer, have a gander at this great article from those boffins at Forbes.

7. Leverage contacts

According to the founder and CEO of Localytics and all-round entrepreneurial whizz Raj Aggarwal, what you know might be important – but who you know can certainly speed things up. “The fastest way to an interview is when someone I know makes a referral or recommendation,” says Raj.

If you already know someone in the company, get them to put in a good word for you and you’ll be one step closer to wowing your future boss in person. A word in the ear from an insider can help boost your chances by as much as 18%, but even an outside referral can sway things in your favour by 9%.

8. Position yourself as the expert

Rather than run around chasing after the vacancies yourself, have prospective employers come grovelling at your feet by showcasing your knowledge and expertise in your given industry. How can you do that? By creating an intimidatingly impressive online presence, that’s how.

Write blogs, articles, e-books – anything you can muster to demonstrate your abilities. You can even register your own name as a web domain to attract interest and draw attention to just how unspeakably awesome you are.

9. Volunteer

Working without pay might seem as much fun as a needless trip to the dentist, but clocking in off your own back and without any financial incentive can boost your chances of securing a lucrative position in the long run.

Not only will you show that you’re passionate about your work and that you’re capable of giving back to society, you’ll also accrue invaluable experience and could forge networking contacts (and thanks to point number seven, we all know how important they are).

10. Get creative

Getting creative in the job interview itself can do wonders to mark you out from the crowd as the next big thing in your chosen field. Successful stunts in the past have included asking for the interview to be conducted in a foreign language (to highlight proficiency) and contracting a billboard outside the place of work to demand the position.

Be careful though – going too far can simply make you look like a loon. This recent article by Forbes magazine highlights some key dos and don’ts for interviews (spoiler alert – back-flipping is frowned upon, apparently).