Six Job-Hunting Secrets You Need to Know

1. Employers are impressed by statistical evidence of your achievements

If you can, include statistical evidence of your achievements in your resume and cover letter. It’s a lot more impressive if you say the turnover of a restaurant by 40 per cent over a 12-month period under your management than just saying you just helped increase attendances.

Secrets to a Winning Cover Letter

2. Employers don’t wait until the closing date to start reading CVs

Most employers will read them as they the come in and may start interviewing straight away. If filling the role is urgent, they may even hire, so make sure you send in your applications as soon as possible.

How To Make your CV Stand Out in the First 10 Seconds

3. Asking questions throughout the interview will improve your chances

It’s generally advised to wait until the end of an interview to ask the employer questions. But if opportunities arise, ask throughout the interview. That way they’ll fit in more naturally and help create more of a conversation than a stiff Q&A session. You’re also less likely to forget what you want to know.

Five Questions to Ask in an Interview (and Why)

4. Helvetica is the industry font-of-choice for CVs and cover letters

Helvetica is easy to digest, modern and professional looking. To make your application easier to comprehend, make sure you have consistent text alignments, clear subheadings and use bullet points instead of large slabs of text.

How to Make your CV Stand Out In The First 10 Seconds

5. Sending a personal summary to your reference will guide them in the right direction

Include your key experiences, achievements and skills, as well as your personal strengths and how they relate to the work you did with or for them. This will prime them to use certain key words that relate specifically to the applicable role; ensure there is consistency in the information communicated to the hiring manager, and guide them to the attributes you want highlighted.

Sending This to Your Reference Will Help You Land the Job

6. If you request a meeting with a hiring manager, you’ll likely get one

If you’re wanting to work at a particular company but there aren’t any current opportunities, request a coffee meeting with their hiring manager. Rarely will this be turned down. By meeting face-to-face or even speaking on the phone, you’ll be able to get some great company-specific tips and create a point of reference when opportunities arise.

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