Having trouble finding a job? A recruiting expert shares 5 golden tips

1. Build a good LinkedIn profile and don’t wait for your dream job

As a thumb rule, everyone should have a LinkedIn profile as it has become the de facto platform for all business professionals. However, if you’re a fresher or someone with 0-3 years’ of experience having a LinkedIn profile is not a necessity. Importantly, it’s not enough to be on LinkedIn just for the sake of it. Your profile must stand out. It should have detailed information about your employment record along with a description of your role and responsibilities. Look at the profiles of prominent Leaders on LinkedIn to get an idea on how to go about building your profile. It doesn’t mean you do a copy and paste job. Lastly, don’t wait for the recruiter to come to you. Follow recruiters and your favourite companies to keep a tab on the latest happenings. Connect with as many people as possible and tell them what you’re after.

2. Demonstrate your willingness to learn

Whether you are a fresher or a seasoned professional, if you want to succeed, you need to keep on learning. Don’t assume that you know everything under the sun because you came from a reputed institute or a company. A willingness to learn allows you to absorb new skills and abilities that may lead to promotions or raises. You can learn a lot by just observing your superiors or colleagues. If you are a fresher, demonstrate to interviewers your passion for gaining new skills as it tells them you’re willing to work hard. Experienced professionals can provide examples of how they are self-teaching. For example, in a past position, did you volunteer for a stretch assignment (a project or task that is currently beyond your level of knowledge or skill) and delivered great results? Did you complete a course to advance your coding skills? Also, use the interview to ask plenty of questions about the company and the role.

3. Show you’re a problem solver

Employers want to know how you respond to problems and tricky situations. By giving specific examples of how faced and resolved such incidents, you are proactively displaying your skills to the interviewer. During the hiring process, an employer may ask a series of situational interview questions. If you have a real experience of these situations make sure you draw on them and include them in your answer. If however you don’t take a moment to think on how you can structure your answers to elaborate on the steps you would have taken to tackle the issue. Importantly, do a thorough research on the company and keep yourself updated with current industry trends. I am old fashioned and believe reading newspapers is extremely beneficial.

4. Salary shouldn’t be the sole criteria for accepting the job offer

If you are getting a good job profile, ample opportunities to learn and a healthy work-life balance it makes sense to compromise on the salary front. Remember, if you are good at your work, money will eventually follow you. Importantly, it’s critical to have a long term perspective while accepting an offer. For example, a person working in the domain of natural gas exploration with GAIL is getting somewhere in the range of Rs 50,000-1 lakh. However, after gaining valuable experience this person can take home multi-million dollar pay cheques in Kuwait or UAE as these countries have a dearth of talent.

5. Have a valid reason for switching jobs frequently

Employers and personal circumstances differ and so long as you have a valid reason for changing jobs, there shouldn’t be any problem. If you have just started your career, it is expected that you are still finding your feet. However, for jobs in middle or senior-level management the candidates who have worked with an organisation for three years or more are given preference.