Job hunting tips for fresh grads and seasoned professionals

Whether you’re a bright-eyed fresh graduate psyched to find your first job or you’re already quite experienced in the corporate world, here are some timeless tips to take note of during your job hunt.

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Personalize resumes and CVs

But first, know the difference between a resume and a CV. A resume provide a concise overview of your experience and credentials, so it’s smart to limit yours to 1 or 2 pages. CVs are a comprehensive summary of your entire educational and work experience along with relevant skills and achievements, so CVs are longer and take up around 3 to 5 pages.

Large-scale companies receive hundreds of applications every day, and a generic cookie-cutter resume won’t stand out. Take time to research about the company and tailor your resume to fit their brand and vision. Remember to proofread before submitting, as you wouldn’t want to commit the embarrassing mistake of saying “I think Company A is a great workplace, which is why I want to work for Company B.”

Clean up your social media and internet presence

You dressed up in a sleek outfit for your interview. The HR representative conducted the interview, and you think it went quite well. After a few weeks, you never hear from them again. Why wouldn’t they call back? You wonder, as you share another politically-charged and profanity-laced meme on your public Twitter account.

Employers would look up your online presence, and it’s a red flag if they see you flashing indecent hand signs in your profile picture or posting graphic memes for the public to see.

It’s best to clean up your social media profiles, set your posts and photos to private, or delete those angry rants entirely. Losing a potential job opportunity just because of a tweet from 2009 is quite unfortunate but can happen more often than you think. Additionally, it’s good advice to…

Update your LinkedIn profile

Unless you’re applying for a communications or creatives position, LinkedIn is probably the only social media profile you would want employers to see, so jazz it up as best you can. Besides, LinkedIn is a great way to network and find potential employers and job openings as well.

Read: Singaporeans more anxious about needing to learn new skill sets rather than losing employment due to workplace automation

Don’t underestimate the cold application

While there are lots of postings in websites and job portals, companies would not advertise all openings online, especially for highly technical or specialized positions. That’s why you should still send out cold applications through email or in person. Businesses could make room for you if they’re impressed by your enthusiasm. After all, companies nowadays value soft skills such as showing initiative and having a sense of responsibility.

Set realistic expectations

For both fresh graduates and seasoned professionals, know what you’re worth. Worth does not just refer to how much you expect to be paid, but also what opportunities for growth and development the job can provide. Additionally, it’s a bad idea to over-sell yourself for a job and later not be able to deliver.

In everything, it’s best to prepare by researching about the company in question and the current rates for the positions you’re applying for. The grass will always be greener someplace else, but that doesn’t mean you have to jump fences every chance you get./TISG