Evaluate yourself: Assess your skills, experience, and “cultural fit”. If you don’t choose to seek individual, in-depth consulting with Robbins Staffing, at least take an online career test and/or discuss your abilities with a colleague. It’s crucial to gain a complete picture of all you have to offer and then apply, with confidence, for those jobs for which you are qualified. Failing to recognize your skill set, sells yourself short. Applying for positions for which you are not qualified wastes the potential employer’s time.
Network: If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, create one. Participate in LinkedIn groups. Attend networking events. Talk to previous employers and coworkers. Many jobs are not posted as open, but are filled through networking and by an agency like Robbins Staffing Solutions. Our staff can help you get a leg up with companies, offer training, and provide support.
Update your resume: Show, don’t tell – give specific examples of how you made a positive difference in past positions. Link your resume to your social media. When applying for a position, tailor your resume to the job opening, using appropriate key words that speak to your skill set. Have someone proofread it – typos or grammatical errors are a death sentence.
Prepare for interviews: Study the most common interview questions and practice your answers. When an interviewer says, “Tell me about yourself,” be ready with a succinct summary of your professional abilities and goals. Research the company and understand the job opening so you can tell them why you are the best to fill the job. Be prepared with your own questions, ones that reveal your interest in and knowledge of the company.
Show your appreciation: Always follow up interviews with a nice hand-written note. An email immediately following the interview is also appropriate in addition to the handwritten note. Thank your recruiter for his/her time. Briefly reiterate what your qualifications are and what you can offer the company. Express your desire to accept the position.
