TipTopJob Blog

Resilience in Recruitment

We all know that resilience is a life skill; we have to be able to bounce back from our setbacks, ready to face the world again. But resilience in job hunting can feel like a very different beast. So, how do you keep the faith and pick yourself up, time and time again?

Remember, it’s not personal it’s business ...

We all know what job hunting can be like – spending hours sweating over application forms or changing the focus of your CV to accommodate the requirements of an individual employer. The elation of being selected for interview, thinking you’ve aced it, only to be told that you weren’t going to be offered the job. It all feels very personal. And that’s the first rule of job hunting resilience: rejection isn’t personal. So, how do you use this to your advantage? 

• Objective reflection: Give yourself a little time to grieve (but not too long – time is money!), then spend some time reflecting on the interview process. Make some notes on the things you felt you didn’t project strongly enough and how you could improve.

• Education and Qualifications: Not just a few words rattled off in an email or tagged on to the end of the phone call where they break the news. Get some quality feedback. The best interviewers (and the more sensitive ones) will ask if you want to arrange another time to talk about the interview and the outcome: say yes! Then go away and prepare for that conversation as if it’s another interview. Take time to gather your thoughts, and cultivate a better frame of mind. Make a list of questions you want to ask, points you want to raise, and make sure you have paper and pen to make notes of what they say to refer back to later when preparing for other interviews.

• Don’t burn your bridges: Remember to stay professional; you might be feeling hard done by now, but there may be other roles with that company in the future and you want to make sure that they remember you for all the right reasons. 

Take a Reality Check ...

If you aren’t getting past the application stage you need to take some action. 

• Do you meet all of the essential requirements (and most of the desired ones too)? If you aren’t ticking those boxes, then the likelihood of you getting an interview are very slim. You need to be realistic in your job choices, spend your valuable time on those which have a good chance of being successful.

• Are you doing yourself justice in your applications? Think about how you are expressing yourself on your CV or in your applications. It’s important to not only tell employers about the skills you have, but to give them some evidence to prove you have successfully used them, detailing any results if possible. Using the CAR formula (Context, Action, Result) can help to structure what you write and keep it concise. 

• If in doubt ... if you’re unsure about how you are presenting yourself then get some advice! Ask friends to look over your applications and discuss the roles you are applying for. Using a service like CVKnowHow can give you professional, objective guidance. 

Take Back Control ...

The whole process of job hunting can feel like someone else is pulling your strings. Thinking that you’re at the mercy of their decision making can make you feel vulnerable and, well, it’s just a little bit scary. However, there are many other ways that you can take back some control: 

• You can decide where and how you look for jobs – besides job sites, you can also use your own network, asking if friends or family are aware of any opportunities, or simply identify companies you would like to work for and contact them speculatively. 

• What you apply for is your decision too – remember , your time is too precious to waste. 

• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, as the saying goes. Send off the application, or attend the interview, and then move on to the next one. Knowing we have choices is an empowering force in itself. 

• How you present yourself and obtaining help to do his effectively is completely within your control. 

Be Kind to Yourself ...

Self knowledge is a wonderful thing – knowing your strengths and skills and recognising them as valuable assets can communicate many positive vibes to prospective employers: if you feel good about yourself, it projects! When things get tough remind yourself of those skills and qualities (some people I’ve coached have kept a list to look back through – it worked for them!) – valuing yourself means employers will value you too. 

Take some time out to relax and focus on something other than job applications – even if it’s just a little time – keeping your mind healthy. 

About the Author: CV Knowhow, our CV writing company partner, have written this article. They are ready and waiting to help you put your new CV together. Check them out here and submit your CV for a FREE review today. 

Latest research discovers that 44% of jobseekers have only ever put their CV together, just the once. Does this tell us that many jobseekers only compile their CV, apply for the one job and then are lucky enough to be offered it? Wouldn't that make job hunting easy!

Further to this, 34% have created somewhere between 2 and 5 CV's when applying for a job. This relates to the CV being varied according to the similar but different roles being applied for at the same time. 

13% have created more than 10 CV's - WOW! And 9% have put together between 5 and 10 CV's.

So, how many have you done? Have you found that you are re-creating many CV's so you only ever send one CV to one company? This is how we advise jobseekers to go about their job applications to ensure they are really targeting their applications according to the job and role. So if this is YOU, well done and keep it up! 

If you require some advice on putting together a new CV, head over to our Career Centre on the website. It has plenty of great articles to help with many topics surrounding CV writing. 

Results are as follows:
- Only once = 44.4%
- twice = 14.5%
- 3-5 times = 19.5%
- 5-7 times = 6.4%
- 7-10 times = 2.4%
- >10 times = 12.9%

Over the last month we have been investigating the likelihood of jobseekers using CV and Resume Writing Companies to review and re-write their CV's/Resumes.

We first looked into how likely people were to using them. It was a close call with just 10% difference between people saying "never" and others saying "definitely". In fact there was a small difference between Never, Maybe and Definitely looking at the illustration between the options below.

28% said they would never use a professional CV / Resume Writing company, 32% said maybe and 40%, definitely. We are safe to say that there is a market for such companies to help those get their CV / Resume's up to scratch.

Following on from this analysis, we looked into why people would decide to use such professionals. 44% clearly felt that they would do a better job than them - whether this is true or not is another story. This could simply be down to a lack of the individuals confidence rather than their actual ability. 38% just did not know where to begin when reviewing and re-writing their CV/Resume so needed some direction. Finally, 18% did not have the time to re-do their CV/Resume and so would choose to use the professionals. With people being so busy and rushed today and longer hours being worked, this reason is definitely a deciding factor for many.

So once you have made the decision to use an external professional, how do you decide which company to use? It is always a good idea to shop around and see which company is suitable for you and works within your industry and location. It is also a good idea to go on recommendations and potential partnerships of businesses who recommend their services. Here at TipTopJob, we currently recommend Get Interviews which offers services within the UK, the USA and Worldwide. They offer a FREE CV / Resume review in the first place before purchasing any of their services. You can read a little more about CVGetInterviews here and GetInterviews here.

Interviews are all about first impressions and the way you dress yourself has a huge bearing on this. If the interviewer sees that you have made an effort and that you take pride in your appearance, it will reflect on how you will take pride in representing their business. It is not about spending a fortune on new, expensive clothes but it is about taking care to present yourself professionally.

Although expected dress in businesses varies, especially from industry to industry and role to role, it is still expected that for an interview the same level of professionalism is taken.

There are some additional tips on how to best dress for both men and women that can be found in a separate article in our career centre but here are the 10 top tips for women: -

1. Skirt
If you are going for a skirt, avoid anything above the knee or a skirt that is too tight and uncomfortable to sit down. You do not want to be showing too much leg and distract the interviewer.

2. Suit
A classic suit is always a good option – particularly a grey, black or blue one as it will not be over bearing and always be a smart, professional option.

3. Shirt
If wearing a shirt, avoid anything see-through or short that may reveal any skin. You do not want to have any of your bra showing and particularly avoid wearing a black bra under a light coloured shirt.

4. Shoes
Your shoes should be smart but also comfortable. Avoid wearing shoes you are not used to walking in and find you waddle or trip up in.

5. Make-up
Your make-up should be neutral and not over the top. Avoid fake eyelashes, red lipstick or any brightly coloured eye shadow.

6. Hairstyle
Your hair style needs to be conservative and not over done like you are going on a night out. Sometimes having your hair swept back into a tight ponytail can stop any distractions with hair getting in your face and distracting the interview.

7. Jewellery
Avoid wearing any jewellery that clinks and clanks and can be over bearing, for example, large hooped earrings and heavy chunky bracelets. Keep it simple.

8. Tattoos
If you have tattoos and are able to cover them, try.

9. General
In general, do not be too flashy, sexy or over the top.

10. Colours
Try to match your colours and go for the elegant, sharp, professional and smart look.

If you can follow the above advice, then you will at least have eliminated any concerns the interviewer may have about your appearance. How you decide to dress is well in your control and can be planned in advance. If you have any queries about the dress, you can always ask ahead so as not to go wrong.

Read this article on our website in the Career Centre and more.