I HATE rejecting candidates. It’s one of the worst parts of my job. Whilst recruitment has so many great factors, the worst part for me is rejecting and more recently, due to the amount of candidates on the market, I feel an immense amount of guilt as I cannot help everyone find a new role.
The market has been and still is quite tough. Application response alone is higher than it’s ever been and personally, it just makes our role that little bit harder as we are having to be really specific, even more than normal.
Here are some of my TOP TIPS when applying for a role:
1. Read the advertisement
It sounds silly, but you need to read more than the first few lines of the advert. We see so many candidates apply who clearly have not read the advert.
If they did, they would probably realise they haven’t got the required experience.
2. Set a goal/criteria
What am I looking for? What are the key factors I need when looking for a new position? And try and stick to them.
3. Be realistic on salaries
Most adverts specify a salary range, yet so many people I speak to are applying for roles way below their salary or way above (yet expecting the same salary they were on, so then get rejected or dismiss it themselves).
Now, of course, if you are looking for a salary increase then you’re going to apply for job roles paying more. But be realistic, not greedy and think about what the role is requiring from you.
4. Make sure your CV is up to date
We are receiving so many applications where the CV is not up to date, often with recent career history missing. Double check the CV you have on file with the job board is the correct on. I have rejected people because the CV they sent isn’t right, only to find out they are potentially relevant later when they contact me 😜
5. Follow up
If you truly believe that the role you applied for is right for you, then do not be afraid to chase up the hiring manager or recruiter.
A lot of candidates are getting put off applying for roles because they see 100-200+ applications. Recruiter insight here: we get A LOT of CVs but 80% won’t be right, and a lot may not even be in the country.
So DO apply and feel free to contact us to make sure we have your application. It’s ok, if you’re right for the role, we WILL want to talk to you.
We hope this helps 😜⭐💖
Zoe Chatley
Zoe Chatley is Managing Director of The Channel Recruiter
