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Job Applicant Strategies

For every 1,000 resumes sent to an employer, a job applicant will probably only receive two interviews, according to the Idaho Department of Labor. In a poor economy -- or a competitive industry -- these odds are likely to decrease even further. Job applicants can increase their chances of getting a job by employing strategies and best practices for conducting the most effective job search, creating professional resumes and impressing the employer at the job interview.

  1. Job Search

    • Candidates often compromise their job search with overly restrictive parameters, according to Debra Thompson in a report of effective strategies for job searching. Applicants should avoid limiting their search by location, length of commute or the size of the employer. Instead, applicants should focus on widening their job search to discover all available possibilities, including searching classified ads, employment agencies, networking contacts and even sending resumes "cold" to employers who might not be hiring but for whom the applicant wants to work.

    Networking

    • Networking is based on the saying "It's not what you know, but who you know." Candidates should discuss their job search with friends and relatives to identify leads for potential job opportunities. The Idaho Department of Labor suggests job applicants build networking relationships using the Internet by participating in user-groups and discussion forums related to the industry the applicant hopes to work in. When networking, the object is to build long-lasting relationships as opposed to asking people to identify job opportunities. Any networking endeavor should be sincere, with the applicant giving as much, if not more, to the relationship than he hopes to get out of it.

    Resume

    • A resume should stand out from the rest, but for all the right reasons. The resume with multiple typos and an orange juice stain did not create a favorable impression with the employer who received it, reports CareerBuilder. In addition to having a professional, accurate and well-presented resume, job applicants should ensure their resume contains key words relating to the job and industry in case the employer uses an automated screening process. While applicants are advised to distribute their resume widely, each resume should still be tailored to the job to the extent possible. An obviously generic resume without a cover letter could actually cause more harm than good and make the applicant appear lazy. Additional strategies to consider might be to create a website as an interactive on-line resume, and also providing copies of the resume to references to help them answer reference questions when contacted.

    Interview

    • Planning, research and preparation is the cornerstone of a good interview. Applicants must be ready to wow the employer with answers to expected questions, have prepared thoroughly enough to answer the unexpected questions and demonstrate knowledge of the company by finding out as much information as possible from the Internet, application materials and networking contacts. Candidates should decide on an image to project and stick to it, targeting their responses to fit with the theme. If the applicant is asked what she has been doing while unemployed, she should highlight her work ethic and how she actively built transferable skills through volunteering or community activities. Candidates definitely should not respond that they "stayed home and watched TV" -- a true-life response recorded by CareerBuilder. One strategy suggested by CareerBuilder is to treat the interview similarly to a political campaign, by targeting the undecided interviewers and building rapport where possible. Even if the applicant is ultimately unsuccessful, being gracious and polite could open doors in the future.

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