We at Humans in the Loop aim to empower conflict-affected individuals actively seeking employment with valuable insights and practical advice.
In January 2024, we introduced a Guest Speaker Program to link working professionals with our students and establish a secure environment for inquiry, exploration, and interaction. We recently welcomed professional recruiters Kata Nagy and Anastasiya Shen as our special guests at online webinars. Let’s review the topics we have covered so far in navigating the challenging job market step by step!
In February we e-met Kata Nagy, a seasoned recruitment expert with eight years of working experience. Kata’s insights have been crucial in guiding job seekers through the complex employment landscape.
Kata stressed the importance of thorough preparation before entering the interview room. From researching the company and role to asking thoughtful questions, every aspect plays a vital role in leaving a lasting impression. Kata highlighted the significance of punctuality, professional attire, and advised candidates to focus on authentic communication rather than scripted responses.
The Importance of a good CV
The importance of crafting a relevant CV can’t be overestimated, staying realistic, clear, and concise. Avoid using generic templates and tailor your CV to each job application which will significantly increase your chances to receive an offer. Showcase your achievements and relevant experience while maintaining a clean and professional layout. You may express these using KPIs, numbers or percentages.
“In today’s digital era, a strong LinkedIn presence can enhance your job prospects as well. Active engagement, consistent branding, and highlighting key skills and achievements on LinkedIn can effectively improve your professional self-positioning and profile optimization.”
Have you already improved your CV and LinkedIn profile? If so, you are all set to taking next steps and applying actively for desired roles. Remember: If you are sending a CV actively but without any results, consider editing your CV again.
A well crafted CV does result in interview offers!
Showcasing your skills
While preparing for interviews, research companies through various channels, such as social media platforms and company websites. Understanding the company and its culture is crucial. Show genuine interest and curiosity during interviews, along with preparing questions to understand the company’s operations and values. Effectively showcasing your skills and experiences during interviews can help you to differentiate from other candidates.
During the webinar, Kata advised job seekers to assess their strengths and areas for improvement, using descriptive language and concrete examples to demonstrate proficiency in relevant skills. Be transparent about your career aspirations and values, enabling recruiters to evaluate their fit within the organisation.
Let’s continue! We believe that if you are considering applying these pieces of advice it may significantly increase your chances of employment. Of course, the job market can be complex and with a flood of applications, standing out is crucial.
HITL friend and our guest speaker Anastasiya Shen, a Professional Recruitment Specialist with over a decade of diverse professional experience, who opened our Speaker Program and became the very first guest in January 2024, highlighted common pitfalls and offered actionable tips for success.
Standing out from the crowd
Anastasiya stressed the significance of a concise, well-formatted resume, urging candidates to focus on relevant experiences and achievements within a maximum of three pages of overall length. The length of your CV is really important – remember that recruiters are receiving hundreds of resumes daily.
Anastasiya emphasised on the importance of tailoring resumes to specific job requirements, concentrating on commercial experience over unrelated courses. She highlighted the impact of personalised achievements, showcasing the value candidates can bring to prospective employers.
“90% of applications recruiters usually receive are not a fit, mainly because of the lack of relevance in working experience. The second drawback of resumes is a poor format, many applications are being rejected because the resume is improperly formatted. It could be inappropriate overall length, for example 5-6 pages, wrong format of the document, with irrelevant fonts. You should consider compressing your CV into a format suitable for the recruiter, and, of course, highlighting the necessary information about how suitable you are for the requirements of the particular position.
Speaking about the length I want to mention, the maximum length of the CV is 3 pages. But it’s better to keep it even more concise, up to 2 pages. To stay concise, do not list irrelevant work experience. Keeping in mind the fact that you’d better to reveal only relevant professional experience could help you to reduce the overall length. Irrelevant experience in CV reduces the likelihood of moving the application to the next stage of selection.”
Emphasising your transferable skills
Another piece of advice – not to mix experience from different fields simultaneously. If you are switching a profession, it’s better to define any transferable skills you may use in a new role instead.
The importance of quick responses and genuine interest
“Job hopping is often considered a disadvantage. For example, when we speak about 3 or more jobs over 2-3 past years where the candidate worked less than six months. 95% of such candidates are being rejected.
If, on the contrary, the situation is that you worked for a long time in one company, describe your career growth. Break it down by years, relocation, promotions. Try to show that you haven’t been stuck in one position for years.”
Delving into the interview process, Anastasiya offered tips for preparation and execution. From company research to response practice, making a strong first impression and demonstrating genuine interest are key.
“Always check Spam folder. Out of 10 candidates, 2 invitations will end up in spam. Respond actively, on the same day. As the right candidate is not the only one. The funnel starts with 3-5 candidates. Other, more active candidates, will receive an offer, if you are answering with delays.
Preparation before the interview takes minutes but worth it! Unfortunately, many candidates do not prepare, and cannot answer the question about the company’s activities or business domain. No one requires knowledge of the entire history or the CEO’s name, but at least try to gather some short info, a summary of main activities. This is very demotivating and indicates that the candidate is not really interested in contributing to the company’s success.”
In terms of salary negotiations, thorough research and realistic expectations are essential. Understanding industry standards and market trends empowers candidates to navigate salary discussions confidently.
Where to look for your next online role
In addition to the advice given, save these websites both Kata and Anastasiya have recommended for job searches:
- WeWorkRemotely.com
- Remote.co
- Flexjobs.com
- Remotee.webflow.io
- Otta.com
- Flexa.careers
- Glassdoor.com
In conclusion, we want to point on the importance of continuous skill improvement in today’s skills-oriented job market, as a key component of the personal Career Plan, designed to empower you to navigate your professional development with confidence.
Good luck!
Join us on the 8th of March for our next online event “Mastering Interviews: Techniques and Mock Sessions for Success” with guest speaker Lina Ashram. Lina Ashram works as a Recruitment Consultant at HRS, a Bulgarian talent recruitment and staffing agency and specialises in connecting qualified professionals with top companies for mutual success.
Find out more about the upcoming event with Lina and our other events on our LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/company/humans-in-the-loop-foundation/ or join our WhatsApp group “HITL Events” https://chat.whatsapp.com/KtAzA8JzSD96vg0IwnAyzj.