HOW A ‘HUNG PARLIAMENT’ CAN REFLECT THE JOB SEARCH PROCESS

If like our political system, your hunt for a good job has resulted in a “hung parliament”, and you don’t seem to be winning enough votes to scoop the prime position, you may need some help with swinging the interview in your favour.

So how do you make sure you differentiate yourself from other candidates for the job? Derek Pilcher from executive careers site TheLadders.co.uk says that there are a number of tried and tested tricks to ensure that you are the stand out from the competition.

‘In order to avoid the position that our political parties found themselves in last week, candidates need to ensure they succeed by a landslide. It’s essential to demonstrate your excellence over the opposition in a variety of ways,’ says Pilcher.

He explains:
1. Your ‘manifesto’ is vital - Your CV is the most important document that you own and could be the difference in making the recruiter's vote 'swing your way'. Ask yourself; is your CV really as effective as it could be in showcasing your skills for the job? Recruiters and hiring companies are only going to contact you if your CV is the one that connects with them.

There are a number of ways to improve your CV. For example we know that our recruiters tend to search by keywords more than anything else. But be warned, don’t overload on buzzwords. It’s a fine balance. Look at the Top 50 Keywords Recruiters Search For to give you an idea of what recruiters on TheLadders.co.uk are currently searching by and review your own CV accordingly.

You may feel that to really present your skills and competencies and could do with a professional eye looking over your document. A CV Service is useful for those looking for significant support or to have a CV written totally from scratch.

2. The ‘debate’ - Make sure that you are fully prepared for anything that a potential employer could throw at you at the interview stage. You will need to be somewhat of a politician in the sense that at times you might need to use a bit of spin to explain why your weaknesses can be seen as opportunities and therefore potentially be portrayed as strengths.

3. Prepare a strong argument - Even if there is another strong candidate in the first interview, you could well get a second chance at the second interview to prove you are the person for the job. Now is the time to really prepare yourself. Make sure you accentuate your experience and focus on how previous jobs and your attitude and personal qualities make you the best person for the job.