Blog Post 4
October 28, 2019
Author: Summit-TSI
When applying for a technical job, look the part!
- Your voicemail needs to be set up. When a recruiter reaches out to you and gets the generic voicemail or one with a strange recording it’s a bad first impression. Many people never properly set up their voicemail, so the default recording is often just your phone number. This leaves people unsure if they’ve contacted the right number. The same goes for if there is no message at all, this is very unprofessional. You’re technical to enough to change that voicemail!
- Make yourself a proper email address and check it frequently! Something like jobs@gmail.com It’s quick and easy to set up. Easy to turn the notifications on for your phone and computer. By having a separate inbox for employment, it keeps important messages from being mixed in with the hundreds of other emails people get, making response time much faster. If you are techie at all, we know your phone is right in your pocket!
- Make sure your resume has the necessary information. Your name, address, email address and phone number should always be listed. Also list software, a lot of places do a quick search for key words and if you left something out thinking it may not be important you may be missing out on job opportunities.
- Have integrity. When listing education, work experience and skills you want to be accurate. For example, an administrative assistant uses a printer hundreds of times a day. They could list working with office equipment as a skill. If they chose to say they have experience working with Xerox printers, it could be easily misunderstood hat they can repair Xerox printers. Things might not go well if your new employer asked you to fix the office printer just to find out you have no idea how. Keep your information as accurate as possible.
- Take the time to tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. A lot of us will have one resume that is used to apply for 50 jobs. But if you know your worth and you are looking for that perfect job the extra 10 minutes to tailor your resume maybe the extra boost that puts you at the top of the pile.
- Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. Plenty of more technical people prefer email over a phone call. Be confident in yourself! Pick up the phone return that call to the recruiter! A lot of places want to know you have the personal skills and ability to work well with others.
- Dress the part for your interview. Treat yourself to a haircut, put on those dress shoes you’ve only worn once to your cousins wedding. You and I both know that will not be your daily work attire. An interview is a first impression with people who probably have done hundreds of interviews before and has learned to make quick judgement on people. Yes, even on our clothes.
- Be ready to demonstrate your skills. Just because you took a class on SharePoint years ago does not mean that you are currently able to use it. On the other hand, you may have no educational experience in software such as Server 2016, but you can run it like a pro!
In general, keep it simple, be confident and honest. Know your worth and pursue your goals. Like they say, “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.”