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I’ve sent a huge amount of applications, but no interviews…  what can I do?

I’ve sent a huge amount of applications, but no interviews… what can I do?

I’ve sent a huge amount of applications, but no interviews… what can I do?

I’ve sent a huge amount of applications, but no interviews… what can I do? 

by Karin Schroeck-Singh 27/06/2018

Writing and sending a CV and cover letter to an employer is the standard approach of most jobseekers. However, nowadays smart job candidates apply a more creative and diverse job search strategy when going on a job hunt. Having a strong CV and cover letter is crucial, but it’s only a part of the puzzle.

 

Nowadays competition is tough, and whether you realise it or not, but it’s up to you how you land your next great job. So why do you keep asking yourself “Why am I not getting interviews?”? Let me give you some advice:

 

1) When writing your CV and cover letter based on a job ad, research the company and the job role thoroughly. Whatever information you come across, use it to your advantage and show in your application that you are knowledgeable about the company/position, etc. Make sure your job application does not sound like a standard application. Make an effort to customise it to the company. Repeat relevant words that were mentioned in the job ad and elaborate on them a bit further by emphasising your education, skills and experiences that are relevant for that particular job.

 

2) Find out the name of the person who gets to read your CV and cover letter and address that person by name. Everyone loves to be addressed by name, isn’t it? But ensure that you write it correctly. Take few seconds and double-check. When I was recruiting candidates in the past, the ones who got my name wrong landed on the rejection pile. Why? Because it showed me straight away that they don’t pay attention to detail.

 

3) When applying to the best firms to work for, use positive language in your CV. Tell the employer that you feel EXCITED about the role. When writing your salutation at the end, don’t just write “Kind regards” like everyone else…. be more positive, enthusiastic and passionate. I always write in my business proposals before mentioning my name “Enthusiastically”. My clients love it!

 

4) This could be your secret weapon… add something to your application that shows your employer that you already see yourself working there. Demonstrate in different ways that you already did more than any other candidate. Go the extra mile. As a former candidate I had my own very creative strategies on how to stand out from the crowd. Let me reveal two of those strategies.

a) If the job is local, go there and take a picture in front of the company and attach it to your application. It shows the employer that you can see yourself already working there. But also, that you wanted to figure out where the company is (and how far it would be from your home). Knowing already where the company is located would also save you time on the day of your interview.

b) Provide potential employers with something concrete that shows your skills and what they can expect from you in the future.

For example, if you are applying for a job as a Content Manager (add a FREE article about an interesting industry-specific topic that they can publish on their blog).

If you are applying for a job as a Translator, provide them with a FREE translation of a certain document (excerpt from their website, a blog article, a document etc.)

If you are applying for a job as a Marketing Manager provide them with a written marketing plan that includes some creative customised ideas on how they can gain more business. If you want to impress even more, turn your short marketing plan into a video.

If you are applying for a job as a Web Designer, show them already a template on how the corporate website could look like. Show that you already thought about how you can benefit the company. I promise you, your chances will increase dramatically!

 

5) Attending industry-specific fairs and conferences would be another way of getting in touch with people working in your preferred company/industry. This could happen at a time when the company is not actively recruiting. By engaging in a conversation with the company’s employees could help you to get noticed. Why not also ask the HR-person what their most frequently asked interview questions are when interviewing candidates? Later on, this could potentially lead to employment if you keep in touch with them and show them how you can add real value to the company.

 

6) Interact with the company on social media. Follow them on several social media platforms. Read the content they are publishing, comment on their blog posts, retweet what you find particularly useful, forward them articles or other relevant tips that would be interesting for them to know. Or introduce them to someone who could be valuable in their network. Buy their products or services and share your feedback with them. The more often you interact with the company and its staff, the more you will get noticed. And when the time comes to hire, guess who will come FIRST to their mind? YOU obviously! Getting an interview when they already know you, will be so much easier than being an unknown candidate, believe me!

 

Last but not least, start looking at rejection letters in a different way… a NO means that that company is NOT the right place for you and something better will soon come up for you. Genuinely believe in it, visualise it in the most vivid colours and pray for it (yes!). Things will start changing with a bit of patience and belief. Once you get the opportunity for an interview, prepare for typical interview questions and answers as best as you can. Go out there and get the job you really deserve and which makes you happy 😊

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Motivational slogans for work to get you through the week

Motivational slogans for work to get you through the week

Motivational slogans for work to get you through the week 

Motivational slogans for work to get you through the week

by Talentese Team 19/06/2018

Even if you love your work, it’s perfectly normal to have some ups and downs – for the days when you’re in a “not-so-up” mood we’ve prepared some motivational work slogans for your daily dose of inspiration.

1. Monday – you’ve got a whole new week ahead of you! Let’s start small to achieve something big – all kind of efforts made matter!

2.Tuesday – don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

3.Wednesday – if you just repeat things you’re comfortable doing, you’ll never be able to move forward. Let’s try something new today!

4.Thursday – motivation and commitment can bring you A LOT!

5.Friday – it’s time to finally try something risky, isn’t it? You’ll never know if it works until you try

6.Saturday – relax and enjoy. Everything will turn out to be good!

7.Sunday – it’s time to get ready for something new coming up next week! Are you ready to grow?

by Talentese Team 19/06/2018

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What makes a happy workplace? Interview with the Happiness Research Institute Employees

What makes a happy workplace? Interview with the Happiness Research Institute Employees

What makes a happy workplace? Interview with the Happiness Research Institute

What makes a happy workplace? Interview with the Happiness Research Institute

by Talentese Team 06/06/2018

Happiness may seem too individual to be analyzed from a scientific perspective, though Happiness Research Institute employees believe that it is possible – having applied the modern research methods, they have really approached to the answer to the question “What makes a happy workplace?” and come to a better understanding of certain factors that make us happy with our jobs.

 

So, how does the research of happiness look like? Some answers are in the interview with Isabella Arendt, Executive PA to the CEO at Happiness Research Institute.

 

– What is exactly the Happiness Research Institute?

We are a private institute founded in 2013 and with currently six people working here. We have people from many different fields of study in order to understand happiness from different perspectives.

Building on measurement guidelines and benchmarks from the OECD and UN, we combine qualitative and quantitative methods to provide insights on the level of well-being, happiness and quality of life.What we care about is how people feel about their life. We believe people themselves are the best judge of whether they are happy or not. Working with subjective measures is difficult, but it is not impossible. We do it all the time, when it comes to stress, anxiety and depression – which are also subjective phenomenons – at the end of the day, it is all about how we as individuals experience our lives. What we ideally do is we follow people over time, and see how changes in life circumstances impact the different dimensions of happiness.

 

 

 

– Why have you decided to create your company?

Our founder and CEO Meik Wiking was curious about happiness and why some countries were happier than others. He wanted to understand more of this and thus founded this institute.

 

– What are your 3 top wishes for your company within the next 5 years?

We hope of course for more awareness of the happiness agenda. And for decision makers to implement the happiness research in the decision making process.

 

– What are from your experience the most important factors to be happy at work?

We have done a study in a Danish context about job satisfaction which you can find at our website. The most important factors are meaning, leadership and mastery. We found another four factors, which were important to the Danes, but I will suggest you to read this in the report.

 

 

Job Satisfaction Index, 2016

 

– What makes a good company – the one where employees are happy?

We found that listening to the needs of the workers are important and to understand that people are different and should be treated different. We are motivated by different things and work in different ways. The good employer will make room for those differences and make it an advantage rather than something that needs to be corrected.

 

 

– Money, power, teamwork, achievement… are those keys to be happy at work?

The short answer is no. Meaning and a good work-life balance is more important than all those things. But the report will give you more information about this: “According to the Job Satisfaction Index 2016, the recipe for higher motivation is to be found in meaningful work, work-life balance, confidence in one’s skills, and the experience of results. This is important to have in mind if a leader or a workplace wishes to step up motivation among employees.Purpose and mastering each explain 25 percent of motivation, while balance explains 20 percent. But purpose and motivation have the closest relationship, which means how motivated we feel about our work tasks has to do with how much meaning we feel towards our work”.

 

by Talentese Team 06/06/2018

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