Tips and Tricks for Landing your Dream Job
August 22, 2023
With the unpredictability of the job market in recent years, it’s important for job candidates to identify ways that they can stand out from the crowd. To find out how, we spoke with Bio-Rad's US Talent Acquisition Team, who provided some of their best tips and tricks for landing that coveted interview, and ultimately, your next big job.
Putting Together Your Resume
It may seem like a no-brainer, but before applying to any job, our team says it’s important to read the job qualifications and make sure you’re actually qualified before you apply. From there, make sure your resume is tailored to the role you’re seeking.
- Start with a quick, one-to-two sentence description of why you’re qualified.
“Recruiters generally don’t have time to read every word on every resume, and when you're going through 100 resumes, you have to be able to screen them quickly and make a decision,” says Kelly DeMorais, Talent Acquisition Lead for Bio-Rad.
- Use bullet points with action words that describe the work you’ve done.
“You want to quickly describe what you’ve done and tell a story in a succinct way,” says Angela Kane, Talent Acquisition Lead for Bio-Rad.
- If you have gaps in employment, provide info on what you were doing during these times.
- Whenever possible, quantify things as a way to give tangible insights into your accomplishments.
- Stick to simple formatting and avoid anything too busy. While you want to be succinct, our recruiters say that it’s perfectly ok for a resume to go to two pages.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread. Make sure your work history matches what you have on your LinkedIn profile.
“We've all been there, done that, when it comes to typos, and it’s just heartbreaking to think that one typo could be the difference,” Kelly says.
- Always upload your resume as a document — not a LinkedIn profile. Submitting a link creates more work for recruiters and may decrease the chances that you're noticed. Lastly, use an email address that’s simple so it’s easy for recruiters to contact you.
Cover Letters
While our team doesn’t consider cover letters a must, they say that cover letters do provide something “extra” that other candidates may be missing.
- Keep cover letters brief and include anything you didn’t cover in your resume.
- Short and sweet is the name of the game. Our team recommends something less than one page, usually two paragraphs max.
Interviewing
Before starting the interview process, do your research into the company and what they do so that you’re knowledgeable about them.
- Before interviewing, prepare a 2-3 minute elevator pitch of why you’re the perfect fit.
- Dress for success, whether interviewing virtually or in person. "I think some people have gotten too casual with Zoom calls thinking it's not the same level of dress attire, and that's absolutely not true,” Kelly says. “The rule thumb is that you should always be dressed better than the person who's interviewing you,” Angela adds.
- For virtual interviews, do your best to hold eye contact and keep up a conversation like you would in person. Don’t shy away from using hand gestures on camera.
- Prepare a question or two that shows genuine interest in the role. Also be sure to ask what the next steps in the process are.
- Don’t be afraid to ask other questions, and like anything else, practice makes perfect!
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