11 things that will make recruiters reject your application immediately

11 things that will make recruiters reject your application immediately

by Karin Singh 09/04/2018

Yes, a Vietnamese medical student who was applying for a summer internship position at a forward-thinking medical institution in the USA. I must say, I was impressed of what this candidate had to offer. It was clear – right from the beginning – that he was fully aware of the importance of employee branding.

Every career guidance counselor would tell you to limit your CV to 2 pages, right? Well, in his case (by the way, his name was Minh) I told him that his five pages would be fine since his CV included a list of research papers that got published in well-known magazines, and lots of volunteering and internship jobs which were important to back up his skills. After all, all his documentation was crucial to stand out and to land that highly sought-after internship job, which was offered to him shortly afterwards!

But let’s look at those factors that would usually tempt a recruiter to put your CV on the pile of non-selected candidates. What are really the big No-No’s?

· Submitting a handwritten CV (don’t laugh, I’ve seen also those!)

· Not presenting your CV with a clear structure and chronology (missing headlines, subheadings, relevant details, presenting different ways of employment dates, etc.)

· Missing relevant contact details (if you don’t mention your phone number or email address how is a recruiter supposed to get in touch with you?)

· Coffee stains on your sheets of paper (if you submit it online you don’t have to worry about that at least!)

· Irrelevant details throughout your CV

· Not having customized your CV to the company and the specific job position. Believe me, a recruiter or career guidance counsellor can tell the difference and that’s one of the biggest mistakes that jobseekers make!

· A too general profile description/career summary at the beginning. This part is crucial because if the recruiter loses already his interest at the beginning, it is unlikely that he will reach the end of the second page of your CV. Be articulate and focus on the relevant things that promote you as a suitable candidate.

· Having listed all your job duties, but no mention about your career achievements so far. What do you think sounds better on your CV and would really catch a recruiter’s eye?

Option 1:
“I planned events”
or
Option 2:
“I raised € 60,000 by selling out concert tickets to a 260-people charity event”

If you believe in the power of employee branding, then there is no doubt that option 2 would be the more impressive and more memorable way to highlight your job responsibilities. Why? Because it doesn’t just describe what you did in the past, but also what you achieved in all your jobs by mentioning quantifiable results.

Always remember a job duty just tells a recruiter what you did, but it’s the achievement that tells a Hiring Manager how WELL you carried out your job duties. Learn the difference! It might not always be easy to turn your job duties into achievements, but try to make an effort to express in more detail the contribution you made to a company. That’s what will catch the reader’s attention. Believe me, it’s worthwhile and can make all the difference. Need any help? If you go for some career counselling for experienced professionals, you will get some useful advice on how you can revamp your CV to increase your chances to land the job.

· Listing personal interests that are not related to the job at all (some candidates try to use their hobbies to fill the two pages on their CV, don’t make the same mistake!).

· Grammar or spelling mistakes (always important, but particularly for those jobs where immaculate writing is expected!). It sounds obvious, but approaching someone else to have an additional look at your CV, might help you to spot mistakes that you might have overlooked.

· Poorly worded content. Another CV that I came across some time ago was written in poor English and made my job even more difficult because there where parts which made very little sense. Remember, if the language you are applying in, is not your native language, it’s even more important to go for some career counselling for experienced professionals to make sure your CV doesn’t land in the pile of rejected applicants.

If you want to take your employee branding serious, make sure your CV offers the following:
no mistakes, a clear structure, is customised to company and job position, includes past career achievements, offers relevant information, is neatly presented and ideally doesn’t exceed the 2 pages (but it depends on the job position).

If you need any help in writing your CV from scratch, or if you need to re-write it or give it a total makeover, get in touch with one of Talentese’s career guidance counselors. Take advantage of their expertise and let them help you to impress your next employer. Always bear in mind, the more information you provide, the better outcome you can expect. Good luck!

How to find a job in Germany: 20 tips for a successful video interview 

How to find a job in Germany: 20 tips for a successful video interview 

by Karin Singh 02/04/2018

How would you feel: confident or poorly prepared? You might have already experienced once – or even multiple times – how it is to answer typical interview questions and answers in a face- to-face job interview. But what about attending a virtual job interview via Skype?

If you are wondering why companies are choosing this type of interview, it’s simple: it saves them time and money, involves less admin work, gives them also an idea on how you cope with IT tools and allows them to interview (and visually see) people from across the world no matter where they reside.

The question now is: How can YOU get prepared for the Skype interview in an effective way? Here my tips (some of them can also be found in my eBook “44 Tips for a successful Video Interview).

# 1 – Don’t think that an interview via Skype is the same as going for a face-to-face interview. You still need to act in a professional way – at all times – and need to make some additional technical adjustments.

# 2 – Do your research and try to find out as much as possible about the interview procedure (how long it will last, who is going to be involved, etc.) But not just that. Do your research also on the following: the company, the interview partner(s), the job position and the company’s competitors. The more knowledgeable you are, the more confident you will feel and act.

# 3 – Don’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right location. If the interview is held from your home, choose a quiet room, that is safe, well-lit and has a good reception. Avoid cafés since they can be very noisy and distracting. Your car might also not be the best place to consider for this situation. Show that you take this job seriously, and leave a positive, professional impression by choosing the right location!

# 4 – Make sure your technical equipment is working and test it before using it (your computer/mobile phone/tablet, your webcam and microphone). Since Skype is working with all major operating systems, and also has a webcam test feature, it will enable you to be seen and heard. Please note: Should the Hiring Manager choose another platform (instead of Skype) make sure you have downloaded and tested the respective software.

# 5 – Unsure about what background would be best? I would suggest you keep it blank. Seeing a mess, does not leave a great impression and showing your library, your trophies, your TV, your wardrobe, paintings etc. might look nice, but can also be distracting. So, make sure that the interviewer is fully focused on YOU and nothing else.

# 6 – Lighting makes a difference. Depending on the time of the interview, ensure that you have sufficient light. Indirect light in front of your face (which does not come from behind you) would be best. Choosing the wrong light might make you look older or might not show your face properly due to the shadow on your face.

# 7 – Frame yourself properly so that your entire head and shoulders are visible. Check the angle in advance so that later you don’t have to think about it. Your camera lens should be clean and free of any smudges. It can be very distractive to the other person.

# 8 – Invest in an external camera and microphone, if you really want to leave a highly professional impression and take your job search to the next level. Unfortunately, built-in microphones and cameras are not always of high quality on several devices. (Should you consider creating videos or podcasts at a later stage, these additional tools can surely be beneficial).

# 9 – Check your internet connection’s speed and during the interview remember to close all applications which might consume unnecessary bandwidth. By the way, how would you feel if suddenly the connection is lost, because the battery has not been sufficiently charged? Take care of that too!

# 10 – Prepare some smart questions, because that shows your motivation, commitment and genuine interest in the job and company. Write them down so that you have them easily at hand. Still wondering how to find a job in Germany as a foreigner and successfully conducting a Skype interview? Keep reading.

# 11 – Rehearse your interview with a friend via screen. That will make you feel more at ease and generally more confident throughout the process.

# 12 – Wear professional business attire and be groomed as you would be in a face-to-face interview. (For ladies only: don’t overdo it with your make-up). You might want to avoid the colour white. For two reasons: If you are Caucasian you might look pale, and it would conflict with your background too, if that is also white.

# 13 – Keep all your career-related documents and your calendar handy. If you need some information or need to schedule a follow-up interview, you can easily do it.

# 14 – Keep a glass of water (no alcohol!) nearby so that your mouth is not getting too dry in case the interview turns out to be lengthy.

# 15 – This is very important! You should keep eye contact by looking straight into the camera (it’s like looking in the recruiter’s eyes!) and NOT watching yourself on the monitor (which will look as if you want to avoid eye-contact!). By the way, you can stick some key points on the wall behind your camera (like a little cheat sheet), that might help you to answer questions that you might find tricky. If you do it smartly, nobody will notice.

# 16 – Pay attention to your body language and your smiles (don’t be too serious, but also not smile or laugh too much).

# 17 – Keep your mobile phone switched off.

# 18 – Be punctual and start the interview on time.

# 19 – Let everyone around you know, that you do NOT want to be disturbed during your interview.

# 20 – Be fully focused on the interview, don’t google typical interview questions and answers during the conversation and disregard incoming live notifications from your friends. Show that when it comes to getting an English speaking job, you are a candidate who is professional and takes their career seriously. 

If you want to find out more tips on how to conduct a successful video interview, you can check out my eBook here.