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6 Tips I Learned From A Recruiting Specialist At A Business School

Freshen up your resume, optimize your job hunt and master the initial interview

Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels
Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels

In my job search process at the beginning of this year, I had the opportunity to meet a recruitment specialist from a renowned business school. Although his usual work involves dealing with business students, he shared some valuable advice with me, which, I believe, could benefit any job seeker. Please note that the examples I will use for illustration in this article are tailored to my personal job hunt in data science but can be exchanged by other roles.

Tips for your resume

1. Have a short and customized "About me" section

At the top of your CV, implement an "About me" section consisting of 2–3 sentences where you briefly describe yourself, state your skills and experience, and even your motivation. Make sure to customize this section to each job description you want to apply to.

For example, if the job description says "data analyst", focus on emphasizing your data analysis skills (as opposed to e.g., data science, data engineering, or business intelligence).

Another example is a sentence from my own introduction section on my resume, where I highlight all the parts that can be customized to every new job Application you sent out.

"Knowing how to find and communicate data insights, I am looking for a job as a Data Scientist to tackle challenges in the business domain."

2. Research all required skills and add as many as possible to your CV

For every application you want to send out, copy the job description into a Word document or Google doc, and highlight every skill they are looking for in a candidate. Collect them in a list and re-phrase them in your own words with the help of a thesaurus. Try to implement most of those skills into your Cv in either an "About me" section, as explained above, or your work experiences or skills section.

In the example below, I highlighted all skills needed for a Data Analyst job in the Finance and Accounting department. It is an artificial job description I wrote, so I won’t get in trouble with copyrights.

Hypothetical job description on an online job board. Image by author.
Hypothetical job description on an online job board. Image by author.

This is how you could cover two of the named skills in your work experience section in your CV:

Data Analyst at XYZ (2018–Now)

  • Created and updated 2–5 KPI reports per month using Tableau
  • Analyzed the lifetime journey of key customers and supported product owner with data insights to assist in decision making

3. Use the STAR or CAR method to describe previous work or project experience

When listing your previous work experience or project work (recommended if you haven’t got any relevant work experience), you should describe every role in one or two bullet points. The STAR or CAR method can help you sell your experience & skills more appealingly. Rather than just adding random bullet points, tell a coherent story that makes you stand out of the crowd. The STAR method stands for "Situation, Task, Activity, Result" and the CAR method for "Challenge, Activity, Result".

When writing on your short descriptions, start with the

  1. Situation and Task or the Challenge you saw yourself exposed to. This could be a problem your company was facing, or you saw yourself confronted within your own project. Follow with the
  2. Action you took to solve the task or overcame the challenge. And finish it up with the
  3. Result you achieved by tackling the challenge

If possible, quantify the results or the added value for your company. This makes it very easy for recruiters to assess your achievements, value, and contributions to a company (or own project). For example:

Data Scientist at XYZ (Situation/Task)

  • Analyzed workforce tenure and developed a termination prediction model (Action), which resulted in a 5% reduction of employee turnover (Result)
  • Identified bottlenecks (Challenge) in the production process (Action) that contributed to reducing the overall production time by 30% (Result)

The CAR and STAR method can also be applied as a strategy when answering questions in an Interview.

Tips for the job hunt

4. Read Steve Daltons "The 2-hour job search"

The 2 Hour Job Search (2HJS) by Steve Dalton is a guide on job hunting and its new meaning in the 21st century. In his book, Dalton stresses on the importance of networking in the digital era of information overexposure and short attention spans.

Who has the time to read hundreds of CVs? Recruiters today read resumes the way most of us read websites – ignoring a majority of what’s on the page […] Employers these days rely instead on internal referrals to decide whom to interview. […] The only way to get internal referrals is through networking.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part deals with how to efficiently prioritize future employers and move away from reading through online job postings for hours. The second part of the book addresses the approach of future contacts who work for an employer of interest to you. Here, Dalton provides useful tools and strategies (e.g., the 6-Point Email process) to efficiently and effectively build a network of Advocates around you.

In a third part of the book, called "Convince", he discusses how to build a good relationship with the newly built contact in an informational interview, which ideally would lead to a referral. However, Dalton definitely sells the other benefits an informational can have: learning and getting insights from an expert in the field.

I read the book but did not apply the exact 2HJS strategy because I heard about it too late. Nevertheless, I must say that I learned a lot about time management in the job search and the recruiters’ perspective. I recommend reading it if you do not yet have a strong professional network, are procrastinating with your job hunt, or still haven’t heard back from any of the many applications you have sent so far. This book may help you change your view and strategy.

5. Use LinkedIn to network

Tying in with Daltons’ book, the business school’s recruiter advised me to use LinkedIn as my main networking platform. He also encouraged me to approach strangers at my dream company to get "a foot in the door" using customized messages. This advice is definitely NOT what I would have ever imagined myself doing, but I was quickly convinced this is such a useful way to build relationships.

Of course, not everyone you randomly reach out to on LinkedIn will take the bait, but once you start, you will be surprised how many actually get back to you. And why? Because most of the people in desired positions are proud of what they do and, even better: love talking about their job and successes.

Although I did not get my job through this approach, I can tell that this has greatly extended my network in the field and location I recently moved to. For concrete tips and tools on how to approach people and build your network, I would recommend Daltons’ 2HJS again.

Tips for an initial interview

6. Create a company profile with all essential information

Once you got a referral or passed the CV screening and the company believes you are a good fit, you most likely will be contacted to schedule a first initial interview. This is not to confuse with the informational meeting covered in point 4. Although sometimes these can overlap.

Initial interviews are often via phone and led by a general recruiter to get to know you better and learn about your intentions and expectations. Also, recruiters often test whether you have prepared yourself and done some research on the company. So preparation is everything!

The recruiting agent advised me to prepare a company profile for each firm I had an interview with, including the essential information about the company. This could comprise names of the founders or management board, flagship products, financing rounds or known investors, and also current news and critiques in the media. Since most initial interviews are over the phone, you can have the company profile in front of you at any time instead of clicking through the web without orientation.

Example of a company profile. It again is based on an artificial company that doesn't exist. Make sure to at least google the company and scan its website. Image by author.
Example of a company profile. It again is based on an artificial company that doesn’t exist. Make sure to at least google the company and scan its website. Image by author.

The most obvious benefit from preparing a company profile is being able to answer questions about the company and showing off that you have done your research.

However, I can tell from my own experience that they are also an excellent source for developing questions you may have. Asking questions is another good way to show a recruiter that you have been engaged with the company’s story and products. It shows you are curious, eager to learn more, and often sends the right signals.

Now, I wish you a successful application process and please leave a comment if you have any doubts, comments or suggestions!


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