A positive attitude to keep going and believe you’re capable of succeeding, is so important when you’re job hunting. Basically, believe in yourself and what’s unique about you, and employers will too.
You have skills and experience that have the potential to be valued by a new employer. However, if you constantly put barriers in your way, your chances of realising that potential get reduced as each barrier goes up.
Here are some of those common barriers:
1. ‘I can’t apply for that job because I don’t have the right experience, or I’ve never done that job before.’
Identify your transferable skills, not just from previous jobs, but from voluntary work and life experience. Define yourself by your skills and experience, not by old job titles. Think about how your transferable skills relate to the requirements of the jobs you want to apply for.
2. ‘I don’t think I can put that on my job application.’
It’s very important not to put anything on you application that isn’t true. It’s equally important to recognise that, on the whole, we’re not good at selling our own talents. Culturally we tend to underplay our achievements. This is not the time to do that! If you’ve personally been responsible for a success in your job, don’t be afraid to take credit for it and tell your potential new employer about it.
3. ‘Even if I do get selected for an interview, they’ll be so many more experienced candidates than me, I’ll never get the job.’
Having reviewed hundreds of CVs to shortlist candidates for interview, I can assure you that if the recruiter doesn’t see something in your CV that makes you suitable for the role, you’re not going to get selected for interview! From the recruiter’s perspective, interviews are time-consuming and often need to be fitted in around other work pressures. A recruiter is not going to invest time in you if they don’t think you have something to offer.
4. ‘I’ve got an interview, but I’m so bad at them I ruin my chances of success.’
It’s likely there have been hundreds of applications for a vacancy. Generally only a dozen or fewer candidates will progress to the interview stage, so the fact that you’ve been offered an interview should be a huge boost to your self-confidence. Your potential employer has seen something in you. You should have the belief to see that in yourself as well. On the whole, the person interviewing you wants you to do well. You need to be prepared to answer what you might think of as ‘difficult’ questions, but they’re unlikely to be trying to deliberately trip you up. If you prepare properly for your interview, you’ll give yourself the best chance for success.
You can have all the skills and experience a potential employer is looking for. If you don’t have the confidence to believe that you can succeed, you’re setting yourself up for failure before you even start. Believe in yourself and employers will too. Find out more about building your self-belief skills at The Employment Organisation https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/young-professional-training/self-belief-skills-young-professional/
If you’d like support with CV writing, cover letters, LinkedIn profile, job applications or interview techniques, please get in touch. We’d be very happy to talk to you about the services we have to offer.
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