According to Tracey Parsons, the CEO of CredHive (a networking firm), there are many things that job applicants can do to facilitate the hiring process for potential employers.
Here are six tips from Parsons:
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Follow instructions — “It is refreshing when a candidate does exactly what we ask when applying for a position. At my company, we require you to join our database. We only use our own tool to identify talent for our open positions. We don’t take resumes. We don’t believe them. But, that’s our requirement. So, when people do what we’ve asked, we are happy.”
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Use focused communications — “When a candidate tells me exactly what they are going to bring to the table to solve my business challenges, I pick up the phone and call them. And who doesn’t love it when the hiring manager calls them directly to talk about their experience. When you are writing to a hiring manager, try to keep the following in mind, ‘What’s in it for the hiring manager?’”
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Be on brand with the company — “I love it when people send me contact requests or inquiries that sound like someone here wrote it. This tells me three things: First, you took the time to read our site and understand our personality. Second, you understand our brand enough that the learning curve when you start isn’t steep. See, I can already see you working here when you write in our voice. And finally, it tells me that you also see alignment.”
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Show examples of past work — “Nothing beats examples! Examples are awesome and help you stand out. If you have a portfolio, Slideshare, CredHive, links to documents, spreadsheets, reports, project plans, ideas, and presentations from Dropbox, send them. It helps me see what you’ve done so that I can better imagine you working on our team.”
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Ask good questions — “You should be curious about our company, its trajectory, my management style, and the team. When you ask good questions, I can tell you are curious and that you are thoughtful. These are my top two desired skills.”
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Follow up smartly — “Nothing seals the deal like a smartly crafted follow-up message. The net, always send a thank you note. The real deal-sealer is when a little time has passed; the candidate sends me a news article or blog post that is thought provoking based on our conversation.”
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