10x your chance of getting noticed

The speaker discusses the importance of maximizing one's chances of securing a job interview and standing out from other applicants. They emphasize that CVs often look similar and employers skim read them, so it's crucial to include a unique personal statement and covering letter. They suggest highlighting experiences or accomplishments that make the applicant distinct, such as facing adversity, learning new skills, or volunteering. The speaker also advises tailoring the cover letter to the specific company by aligning with their mission statement or values. They recommend considering recruitment agencies as they have knowledge of hiring trends and can advocate for the applicant. The speaker emphasizes the need for proactive research, reaching out directly to companies, and following up after sending applications. They mention that the next session will cover interview preparation. So let's look at maximising our chances of success at securing an interview, getting noticed, getting to the top of the pile of a potential employer, recruitment or HR team. It's fiercely competitive out there, make no mistake that the employment market right now is a challenge for most people. So we need to look at the best chance of success at getting our candidacy for that role to the top of the pile. The challenge with CVs are that they can on face value be similar in respect that most employers will skim read, let's be honest, skim read the CV. They are going to look for what they want to find and that will typically be grades or specific levels of education, be that GCSEs, A-levels or degree or potential qualifications that are relevant to the role that you're going for. But it's just a tick box. Do you tick that box of the minimum requirement that they're looking for? And unfortunately in that regard you're going to be very similar if not identical to a number of the other CVs that are being sent through to them. So how do we distinguish ourselves? We have the personal statement, we have the covering letter. Now effective communicator, good team worker, working well alone and in a group, they're all terrible things to put on a cover letter. It's not what they're looking for. They are looking for what makes you, you, what makes you different, what is it about you that they can hang on to and identify you as a potential candidate. Because trust me, as a person that's run a company for many years and employed a number of people, you're looking to hire the person. Yes, the basic core requirements need to be there. We hire the people, the personality, the attributes they can bring to the team, the gel, the things we might learn from them. So the cover letter needs to have something unique about you. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking. You don't have to have climbed Mount Everest or rode around the world. If you have, by all means, put it down. But for most of us, we haven't done that. But we have done things that make us us. It could be that we have faced adversity where we've had to move from another country and learn a new language. It could be that we've decided to learn a new language or learn a musical instrument or at some point, you've done some volunteering. I believe that most of us somewhere will have done something or contributed somewhere or face some adversity. Don't be shy to put that down as well if you've overcome an illness or supported somebody that's going through that. It shows character. It shows a commitment. Most employers are looking for someone that's able to dedicate themselves to a particular task or scenario or situation and see it through to fruition. That's what they're looking for. Because when they employ you, they need to know that you're going to be committed to learning, to going through the adversity of being a new employee, all the things you've got to learn, all the processes that basically not going to jump at the first hurdle that comes trip, give up, and that's it, I'm out. Because they have to start all over again. And it costs them money and time that they don't want to be wasting. Make sure that cover letter has something more than the general cliches that you will see on Google or the internet and make it about you. So when they interview you, they also have a point of reference potentially even to talk about. Let's talk more about this element that we've read and you kind of skip through the mundane interview of what school did you go to, what degree or grades did you get or whatever it would be. Yes, they want to know that, yes, they want to find out about it, but overall, they want to know about you. Every employer also is going to be looking for something subtly different. Now most employers or companies on their website will have potentially a mission statement or core values element to them. They may actually on their home page have charities that they support or corporate social responsibility, CSR so it's called. And you can tailor that cover letter to be relevant to the person that you are applying to. Now don't get me wrong, you cannot do this over and over again if you're applying to 10, 15, 20 companies. But if there are two or three that you really want to be noticed by or there's just companies that you'd love to work for, just make sure you just put the effort to tailor that covering letter, don't lie, but tailor that covering letter to be relevant to what they might be looking for. It will times 10 your chances of being noticed. Also do consider recruitment agencies. Now people have good, bad experiences at recruitment agencies. I've run one myself for years, I've worked within the industry for 26 years, so I know what it can be like and I know there are good and the bad and the ugly that are out there. However, they have their finger on the pulse of who's hiring. And not just who's hiring, they've had that conversation, what are you looking for? Outside of the education piece, outside of the basic level criteria, who do you want to employ? And by ticking that box with the agency and making that match per se, it gives you an absolute shoe in to get noticed at that company, get an interview because they are speaking on behalf of that business. So please do also, if you are considering a specific industry or there is somewhere where you know there are agencies that work in this space and there's pretty much an agency for every space out there, go to a company or two or three companies and put yourself out there. Worst case scenario, they're going to get you a couple of interviews, right? And you're going to do your own work anyway, so you're not paying them any money, it doesn't cost you anything other than time, but if you put your best version of yourself forward at that interview with them, that will really help. So research the industries, research companies, it is a proactive requirement on your behalf to make this happen. Simply being passive and putting a CV on Indeed or Read or any site that you want, hoping that somebody is going to be just looking for you out there, think again because they're getting applications left, right and centre. You do need to be proactive and reach out directly to these companies with a stellar covering letter or personal statement, a solid, accurate CV and don't be shy of following up. The follow up is the key. If you send the CV, great cover letter, wait a few days, maybe a week, send additional email, say, following on from my previous email and CV, I want to understand more about the role, I'm very interested in talking more about it, please let me know what the next steps would be or something to that effect. That shows that you're interested in that company. You haven't just sent your CV to a hundred different places and you're hoping that somebody comes back. That shows that you've actually gone out of your way to say, you, Mrs. Employer, I want to work for your business. That resonates with people, that gets you back to the top of the inbox, back to the top of the pile, makes you more relevant and gives you the best chance of getting into that interview. What we'll talk about on the next session, albeit very briefly, will be the research you'd need to do prior to having that interview. So let's say the best things happen, they've asked you to come in for an interview. What we're going to do next is look at what actions you need to take to prepare for that interview above and beyond interview techniques or standard questions. There's so much more that you can do to maximise your efforts of securing that role that will really help you 10x your opportunity and chances of getting that job that you're looking for.