How to apply for a job?
My experiences as a recruiter after interviewing 100 people
Months ago I forced to fill open positions in a remote team, I interviewed more than 100 people (and reject more before the interview) and now I have some tips that I’m pretty sure will help you as a job seeker.
Your CV is what the recruiter sees first and determines the next step, so:
- Keep your resume simple, clear, single-column, and readable in no time. Believe it or not; you have less than 5 seconds to convince the recruiter not to hit the reject button.
- Your resume photo should reflect your face during the workday, not a 3×4 (Or whatever is official in your country) personal photo.
- Write your contact information on a separate, complete page.
- The worst sentence that can be read in a job seeker’s resume is CEO of a company. If you are a CEO, continue to be CEO.
- The biggest word in your CV should be the same as the job opportunity.
- If you have skills that complement your profession, write it in a smaller but closer section to your core skill. Someone who wrote Laravel Developer with experience in other frameworks has a better chance of getting hired than someone who wrote Laravel and Symphony and Zend Developer.
Important note:
In countries like the United States, putting photos and information such as age, nationality, skin color, and marital status can cause your job application to be rejected immediately.
Yes, The recruiter needs you, but do not forget that you are not the only one who has applied for that job opportunity, so:
- Arrive for the interview at the time set by the recruiter. Do not be fooled by the phrase “If you are not available at the appointed time, announce another time.”
- Be ready for the interview at the appointed second. I rejected about ten people just because They were less than 5 minutes late.
- Make sure that the tools (microphone, webcam, the internet connection) are working and the atmosphere (audio and background behind you) is appropriate before the interview. I lost a dream job myself just because of the noise of the environment. And trust me, it feels sucks.
- Find out about the company (not the people in the company) before the interview. Attend the meeting with comprehensive knowledge about the subject matter.
Prepare yourself for usual and unusual questions:
Tell me about yourself…
When your recruiter asks you “Tell me about yourself”, the answer to the question should focus on the job title, not your personal life situation.
Answering questions such as “What is your weakness?” Or “When was the last time you messed up?” It should focus on how to solve them, not your messing up itself.
Some of the questions are hidden behind other things:
Your face may or may not indicate certain characteristics when answering questions to the recruiter. For example, a recruiter may present itself as someone with poor technical knowledge, Your facial expressions determining the positive or negative marking items when listening to a question or explanation, not the answer you give.
Put aside playing like a boss, if you‘re needless, you do not need to apply for this job position.
Keep one eye on the clock and the other eye on the email inbox. You have no idea how important is your speed of response to an email.
The recruiter will ask about your requested salary. Turn off your curiosity. Do not ask about other employers' salaries or the companies average salary.
Questions to ask in a job interview:
- How many employees do you have? How many people are on the team I will be working on? Obviously, a good answer is as more as possible. Don’t waste your life in little companies.
- Am I going to work with Legacy Code or Green Code? If you do not know the difference between the two and the advantages and disadvantages of each, do not look for work right now.
- Why do you need me? Why this position opened? Did anyone work in this position before me? If yes, why did he leave this position?
One more thing…
Sometimes dozens of people are suitable for a job opportunity and the score they get is the same. Give the recruiter a reason to choose you. One thing, anything that puts you ahead of others. Good behavior, non-annoying pursuit. Real interest in job opportunities. Alignment of life path with the job opportunity. Funny sentences in your CV. Anything.
Good Luck.