How to keep your competitive edge in a challenging job market from FSM’s HR Generalist, Maegen Gallagher, SHRM-CP.
I’ll admit, we’re pretty picky about who we choose to join our team at Full Spectrum Marketing (FSM). As a marketing agency, we have two groups of people to impress with our new hires: our internal team and our clients.
FSM takes our core values and our client partnerships very seriously. We want to create the best possible culture for our team and a top-notch agency experience for our clients – which we can only accomplish by carefully selecting our people.
We get an average of 50 applicants for each role we post which means I’ve looked through hundreds of resumes during my time here and interviewed many, many impressive candidates. With the current state of the job market, you want to stand out on your resume and in your interview. Here are my top tips to help you ace the process.
Research, Research, Research
Jumping on LinkedIn and clicking on the first few hits that fit your salary expectations won’t find you a perfect match with a company. I understand we need money to pay our bills, but researching what benefits and qualities you want in a company will help you get laser-focused on a job you’ll want to stay at. From there you can properly highlight your experience and create a cover letter (if required) that will show your ideal companies how you’ll specifically contribute to their success.
Stay Curious in Your Preparation
One of our core values at FSM is Furiosity (to have “furious curiosity”) and it’s paramount to our team’s success. Once you’ve found your most desired companies, you should know everything about them before submitting your application. If you haven’t scoured their LinkedIn and social media, and sifted through every possible page of their website, you’re not being curious enough.
Dress to Impress
In a client-facing business like FSM, it’s important to understand that your professional demeanor should include a polished look. Always dress nicer than you feel is necessary. When you’re the best dressed person in the room, you’ll have confidence and you’ll stand out. Even if interviews are virtual, it’s worth dressing more professional and less casual to make a positive first impression.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fumble
It’s easy to feel nervous or to get caught up on your answers in an interview. Answering as directly and honestly as you can is the best route. If you stumble or get flustered, use these techniques to recover:
- Ask for an extra moment to think it through.
- See if the interviewer can rephrase or elaborate on the question.
- Request to circle back to a question at the end.
- Send your answer post-interview, via email to provide a thoughtful response.
- The best technique – admit you don’t know! We can’t know everything and sometimes it’s best to be transparent by saying, “I’m not sure, but I would love to get your take on it to better understand.”
Come With Questions
Pet peeve: Finishing an interview and the candidate says they don’t have any questions. Don’t leave without showing deeper interest in the company or you’ve likely lost the interview! If you’ve truly done your research and stayed curious in your preparation, you will have a million questions about a company you’re really jazzed to interview with. Have a minimum of two or three in depth questions in your arsenal, and write more down as they come up throughout the conversation. If you truly want a seat at this company because of who they are and the work that they do, it should show.
Take Initiative & Follow Up
Don’t wait for a recruiter to reach out and thank you for the interview! If you’re jonesin’ for a role, you need to take initiative and communicate your extreme interest. Those who reach out will leave a deeper impression on the hiring manager and likely move to final interviews more quickly than those who don’t follow up.
Proofread, Then Proofread Again!
My final and most important tip is to proofread everything you submit for a role. Resumes, cover letters, and email communications that aren’t well-written and typo-free do not stand a chance against applicants who invest extra time in proofreading. Small mistakes (like spelling the recruiter’s name Megan, Meghan, or Meagan when it should be Maegen) could cost you an amazing job.
There is no surefire way to land a job you’ll love, but being persistent is half the battle. Don’t wait for luck to find you, make it happen.
