Four Tips to Help You Get Hired Right Now

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In today’s highly competitive job market, landing your dream job can feel like a daunting task. South Africa continues to grapple with high unemployment rates, posing challenges for job seekers. According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), the official unemployment rate stands at 32.1%.

Of particular concern is the unemployment rate among young South Africans aged 15 to 34, which is at 44.3%. These high unemployment rates present a significant hurdle for candidates, especially when paired with the scarcity of job opportunities.

Here are expert tips to help you stand out from the crowd and secure the job you’ve been dreaming of, whether you’re a recent graduate, a seasoned professional, or someone looking to switch careers.
Define your strengths

If you’re not clear on your strengths and capabilities, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to project those to a future employer. It’s important to understand and easily list what your key differentiators are from other candidates. How can you showcase your strengths and the impact that you might be able to bring to the new role?

Determine the gaps and upskill yourself

The benefit of assessing your skills and competencies is that it might be apparent where the gaps might be. To make yourself as employable as possible, consider short courses like those offered by IQ Academy. Courses offered include an array of subjects including occupational health and safety, logistics and supply chain management, human resource management, marketing, business management, hospitality and tourism, and more.

Short, online courses are designed to complement a working professional’s lifestyle through flexible distance learning. Assessments are done through the submission of assignments, and you are not required to physically attend classes.

Personalise your CV

Keep in mind that your potential employer receives hundreds of CVs every month from candidates. With the sheer number of applications that they are required to process, you’ll need to make sure that both your cover letter and CV stand out immediately. As a starting point, do your homework to make sure that the cover letter is personally addressed to the recruitment contact and references the company to which you’re applying. In addition, be sure to review the job description in detail to make sure that you list skills and traits that you know match what they’re looking for. You have a few seconds to make an impact, use it.

Do your research

Critical to entering an interview environment is having done your research on the company itself and the broader market. What does the company specialise in and how do they rank in the broader industry? What are the challenges and issues they might be dealing with? A quick scan of news articles will also bring you up to speed on their current headspace.

Other resources might be the company website, social media, industry publications, and influencers. In South Africa, where competition for employment is high, we all need to be strategic about the decisions we make concerning our futures and careers. It’s important to equip yourself with the skills that will be valuable to both business and society.