Whether you’re suddenly out of work thanks to the recent wave of layoffs in the tech sector, or feel like you’ve outgrown your current position and are looking for a new challenge, fire off a generic resume and hope, at best, it won’t get cut.
According to online resume builder Zety, only 10% of applications result in interviews, and job seekers need to submit between 30 and 50 resumes to get hired. This means that improving your application skills is essential if you want to stand out and secure an interview that will hopefully lead to a job offer. Here’s how…
Cover letters are important
While many job seekers put their entire focus on creating the perfect resume, cover letters are sometimes overlooked as an unnecessary introduction before the main event. However, a well-written cover letter is essential if you want to stand out from your professional peers. In fact, according to Jobbio’s 2022 Hiring Intelligence Report, 46% of hiring managers say a well-crafted cover letter immediately differentiates a candidate from the competition.
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This is backed up by additional data collected by ResumeGo: A tailored cover letter increases the likelihood of an application securing an interview by 50%.
Defeat the ATS bots
From Siri helping you make hands-free calls on your iPhone to Chat GPT’s sophisticated and seamless ability to mimic the way you write, AI has infiltrated every part of our daily lives, including our ability to find a job.
Research shows that 75% of recruiters or hiring managers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in the hiring process, while 98% of Fortune 500 companies also use an ATS program to screen prospective employees. So how can you beat the bots? Pick keywords from the job description and weave them into your resume and cover letter.
Add power words
Durable skills (the ability to use soft skills like collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and leadership as the foundation of your approach to all work tasks) are critical to career success—recent data shows that seven out of 10 of the most in-demand skills in job descriptions were permanent skills. They should also be applied to your application in the form of Power Words to show how your enduring skills have helped you succeed in your career. Examples of power words are “initiated”, “developed”, “coordinated”, “orchestrated”, “adapted” and “empowered”.
Dynamic design
While you might think that a snazzy PDF or template from Canva or Resume.io is the best way to stand out from the crowd, video formats are gaining traction, especially among younger Gen Z cohorts.
Take TikTok Resume as the perfect example: Launched in 2021, the format allows job seekers to create and upload a 60-second short-form video application that leverages the power of social media while demonstrating their skills and experience in a more interactive and personable way. Video interviews are also easily digestible for recruiters and hiring managers.
Expand your network
The era of Zoom coffees is happily behind us and face-to-face networking is back with a bang and is expected to surpass 2019 levels in 2023. While networking with your professional peers doesn’t automatically equate to an interview or job offer, data collected by TechJury found that 95% of professionals find better business relationships are built through face-to-face meetings. Therefore, an essential part of the application process, albeit in a more holistic way, is showing yourself and using informal meetings to keep up to date.
Ready to put your new and improved resume and cover letter to the test? The House of Talent Job Board has hundreds of opportunities in companies currently hiring, like the three below.
Senior Fullstack Engineer – Zalando Marketing Services (All Genders), Zalando, Berlin
As a full-stack engineer at e-commerce platform Zalando, you will create a premium user experience for all fashion brands advertising on the platform and help them offer the best products to customers. The role is primarily focused on the frontend, but there will be several instances where your backend capabilities come into play. You will also be tasked with building and improving the campaign management tool that allows Zalando fashion brands to directly plan, execute and monitor advertising campaigns and create a premium user experience. More details about this role can be found here.
CRM Manager – Conversion m/f/d, Deezer, Paris
From a French tech startup founded in 2007, Deezer has grown into one of the first French unicorns and the second largest independent music streaming platform in the world. The company is now seeking a CRM Manager to join its Paris team to oversee the design, delivery and reporting of its CRM strategy and focus on activation and conversion campaigns. In this role you will be expected to develop and implement actionable, cross-channel and user-centric CRM strategies to engage users and convert them from free to paid, and implement testing and learning strategies to continuously improve and grow existing automated journeys create effective campaigns. Apply for this role today.
Senior Security Engineer – Product (m/f/d), Trade Republic, Berlin
Trade Republic is dedicated to democratizing wealth. Its information security team protects against threats, fraud and legal sanctions so it can grow, compete and build a trusted relationship with customers. The company is currently hiring a Senior Security Engineer to conduct architectural design reviews and threat modeling exercises, proactively identifying security flaws and bugs in its products and features. View the full job description here.
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