You have to find a way to think outside the box whilst operating inside of the box. 

Applying for jobs takes time and effort. When done well, it’s an iterative and thoughtful process. In this two-part series to create a standout application, I will touch on looking for THE right job and then how you can use unconventional tactics to help your application stand out in the pile.

First, you should start with a solid resume. We covered off the basic elements of a good resume here in this blog. Next, you should find your sounding board to help you better understand and reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. Being introspective and understanding where you excel and where you may fall short, enables you to select roles which are more appropriate for you. 

Remember, selecting the right roles, involves starting from the beginning and understanding what it is that you SHOULD and what it is that you MUST do. Read on here for the full blog about starting your career journey. In summary, picking the right career path involves understanding what makes you ‘tick’ and what you feel compelled to do despite societal pressures. Once you understand this, the path forward becomes much clearer. 

Lastly, you can take the information you have to share out with your network and inform them of exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re unsure, you can highlight to key individuals in your network what your strengths are and what you enjoy doing. It’s impossible for you to be aware of all the positions out there so leverage those around you and their contacts to help you create your ideal job description. 

Now you may be asking how so much of this is about the actual writing of the application itself. Truth is, there is so much more to applying for a role than writing a piece to submit. It’s believing that the role you’re applying for is for you and you alone. When you have this attitude, it translates across your written submission and elevates it above other submissions. Passion and self-belief are contagious and this is what you want your submission to embody. But how can we capture our passion and self-belief in writing?

When you’re passionate and believe in yourself, you put your heart into what you do. When you put your heart into what you do, you dedicate yourself to what you’re doing. With dedication comes, revision, 100% effort and detail orientedness. So when you write your submission, you must start early, have others you trust (i.e. your sounding board) review your submission and revise it thoroughly.

Below are my basic steps for how you should tackle a job application which you believe is THE ONE for you. Remember that it’s likely not feasible and will be exhausting to put this amount of effort into every single application so use these tactics for THE job you really want. If it’s one you’re only partially interested in, feel free to use a mix of tactics below as applicable to your situation.

Step 1: Research the company and the hiring manager.
Find out all you can about the role, their values, their org structure (you can decipher this on LinkedIn), strategy, etc. Find out all you can. In this phase, think critically about whether this role is for you. In your research, you may find out something about this company which doesn’t align with your values so it’s important that you don’t skip this step.

Step 2: Identify key players in the organisation.
This will not be of immediate use, but if you’re able to connect with anyone from the organisation. Ideally, someone of a similar level to the role, you can speak with them about the key competencies the HR team looks for. If the meeting goes well, you may even be able to leverage that relationship and develop an internal champion. 

Step 3: Highlight key words in the Job Description (JD).
Alongside the company’s values, the key words are ‘key’ in ensuring your application passes through the system. At times, I tell clients to change and include keywords throughout their resume as they are named in the job description. Why? Larger companies have internal auditing systems which exclude resumes by lack of key work hits. This is usually for governments or other larger organisation with large numbers of applications. If it’s an HR person who will be reviewing the resume, use the ‘expected qualifications’ list as a checklist of skills you must highlight on your resume. Use the same language as they’ve used in their JD. Remember, very rarely will you have an HR professional extrapolate from your resume. In fact, it’s better to be as prescriptive as possible. 

Step 4: Have several people review your application.
This may seem like overkill, but we all view the world with a different lens so having multiple reviewers will help to ensure you haven’t missed anything on your resume. They may also provide some insight into where you can strengthen your presentation of yourself.  

Step 5: Leave it alone and revisit it after a few days.
The final step is to leave your application alone. This may seem counter intuitive, but this is why I advise to start in advance so you can factor in this time. When you leave your document alone, it enables you to revisit it with fresh eyes. In fact, constantly starting at the same doc doesn’t make for productive work so take a break. Both you and your application will benefit from it. 

Once you’re happy with where your application is at and you’re proud you’ve put your best effort in, it’s time to activate the non-traditional tactics. These are my secret tactics I use to get my application to the top of the pile. It’s the things you don’t learn from websites, mentoring centres or formal education. 

Stay tuned because I will cover the things you always wish you knew in my next blog.

The post Standing out as an applicant (Part 1) appeared first on Jessica Avlis.

A Personal profile: Usually 2-3 sentences or 4-5 bullet points at the beginning of your resume covering off HOW and WHY you are unique. It’s your chance to make a significant first impression and create a ‘hook’.

Contact Details: As resumes can be a maximum of 2 pages (absolutely no more than that), your contact details should be clearly and easily found on each page. It should include your full name, LinkedIn profile, telephone number(s), links to portfolios or your website and your email. 

Professional Experience: I prefer the heading ‘professional’ as it enables you to list both paid and unpaid work under this heading. Sometimes using simply the title ‘work experience’ implies that it was paid work. I usually suggest the following format as it’s easily read and enables the reader to see your career timeline/story.

Job Title                                                                                    MONTH YEAR – MONTH YEAR/PRESENT
Company name | City, Country

International or Volunteer Experience: globalisation is calling on our ability as a candidate to showcase the work we’ve done regionally, nationally, and if possible, internationally. I always suggest clients showcase their experience internationally and ‘how they give back’ in a separate section. You can tell a lot by a person by what they give their free time to. Employers like to get a holistic picture of candidates applying for positions. This section should be formatted the same as your ‘Professional Experience’ section

Education: I keep this short, sweet and simply list formal education obtained (e.g. degree name, dates and location). Remember, your education is typically one checkmark on the hiring list of qualifications. 

Technology: Tech skills are crucial to succeed in workplaces today. I strongly suggest you break out the softwares/tech you use into subcategories (e.g. marketing, CSM, design, analytical tools etc.). These subcategories will vary by field/experience, but it helps to compartmentalise your tech skills. 

Certifications: I personally like to list my certifications separately from my Education section. To me, this is further education I’ve obtained to help shape my career or to gain further knowledge in a specific area. 

Award & Honours: Always great to highlight achievements as they make you stand out! 

Interests: Don’t underestimate the power of your interest. Remember that common interests are great conversation starters so show a bit of personality in this section. 

There are many possibilities but solid resumes touch on the above experiences. Essentially, you want to paint a vibrant and attractive picture of yourself so much so a hiring manager wants to bring you in for an interview. The best thing you can do with your resume is show it to as many of your friends and contacts in varying industries as possible. We all have our own lens through which we view the world and their view or perspective of your resume will help strengthen it. Feedback is your friend!

Resume writing

This can be a blog of it’s own so instead, please visit this site for a breakdown of action verbs you can add to your resume. Using strong action verbs not only adds depth to your role descriptions but also helps to better sell your experience and skillset. Canva may also be an additional resource for those looking for a simple way to design their resume – as being visually appealing can keep the eye of readers longer.

Do’s and Don’ts

1. DO – describe your previous experience in 4-5 bullet points (max) each.
2. DON’T – use your photo or age. We want to avoid personal details that may lead to descrimitation. Hate that this happens, but sadly it’s a reality. 
3. DO – bring your personality into your resume especially, the way you tell your story throughout the document.
4. DON’T – leave unexplained gaps on your resume. Where possible, explain why you may have been looking for work. It’s tough and people will understand, but they want to know your full career story. 
5. DO – consider the reader and the overall flow of your document. Are there punctuation mistakes or spelling mistakes? Can a reader easily navigate your document or is it clunky? This is where feedback is essential.
6. DON’T – be generic be YOU – there is only one you so why waste time being like others. It’s your time to shine. 
7. DO – customise your resume to each position by tailoring the language, keywords and your overall experience as presented on your resume. 
8. DO – revisit your resume every month. This is my steadfast rule. Even whilst remaining in the same position, what you do each month may change so you want to keep track of the experience you’re gaining. 
9. DO – keep a list of everything you’ve ever done. Having a place to park your experience is essential for when you need to quickly craft a resume for a position. Think of it as a walk in closet. 

I could go on, but I want you to feel motivated to just start. The key to success is to believe, envision and persevere!

The post Redefining your resume appeared first on Jessica Avlis.

A sounding board is someone who is meant to guide you and respect, trust and honesty are qualities you need in a guide. The honesty, despite how brutal, will be what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.

That type of honesty is hard to come by and much more useful than you can imagine.

But, where do you start?

Start with the people who know you well. Those who know the little things about you which you may forget about yourself (e.g. like the time you volunteered for a day and went above and beyond what was asked of you). For some, this may be their partner, parent, or a trusted friend. 

The important quality to look for is someone who is honest and can remain as objective as possible. 

It may take you a bit to find this person, but that’s okay. Once you’ve identified them, they will be your go-to person to run ideas, positions and opportunities by. 

Your sounding board is a key person on your side to help remind you of who you are as you go off on your career journey. They are critical to ensuring you are being true to yourself when making key decisions about your next steps. 

What’s next once you’ve found your sounding board?

This one is easy. Well, at least I hope so. Have fun and chat. Chat with your person about where you’ve been in your career and where you want to go. Chat through your key strengths, weaknesses and even ask them what they think are your shoulds and musts. If you’re at your crossroads, this person may be a key guide in helping you determine your next direction. For those who may not know if they’re at a crossroads, feel free to read my earlier blog here. 

Identifying your sounding board is a big first step in defining your career and taking the necessary steps to doing what you must do. In fact, they are a key tool to add to your toolkit which will empower you on your journey. 

The post Finding your sounding board appeared first on Jessica Avlis.

With a third of your life being spent working, why not spend it on something you enjoy, something which aligns with your values and who you are. Those who’ve worked jobs which didn’t align with their personal philosophies will know the toll this has taken on their mental and physical health. It’s just not worth it. 

In fact, when you do something that you enjoy, it starts to feel less and less like work and more like something which energises and recharges you. But how do we get there?

Some people are lucky and simply land in a career which fulfills them. They are made aware of their calling at an early age and never waver from this internal pull. But what about the rest of us? Is it too late?

I can tell you that it’s never too late. It’s only late when you give up on trying. 

What I advise my clients when they start their career hunting journey is to take inventory. What energy levels are they working with and where do their motivations lie? The process of getting to know themselves isn’t tough, but they have to be open, accepting and willing to change. Change their perspective, their perception of themselves and their approach to feedback.

Ask yourself, is this where you’re at? 

If not, that’s okay. Acceptance is just that. Greeting yourself with the kindness and acceptance that now may not be the best or right time. But it will come. 

If yes, let’s try an exercise. There are plenty of resources out there like psychometric testing, values mapping and even 360 degree reviews where you listen to what your colleagues and managers think of you. But I think we need to start with what we believe and how we feel about ourselves. From the inside out and then, from the outside in. 

If you’re ready, I want you to grab a pen and paper and write out the following headings: 

1. What I love to do (The things you could do all day, every day and get lost in)
2. What I enjoy doing (The things you can do for about 80% of the time but would take breaks from)
3. What I dislike (The things which take away from you at the deepest level)

Create lists under each heading. Don’t overthink it. Just write. 

Now I want you to leave your notes for a few days and come back to it. How do you feel about what you’ve written? Are there things on there which you’d change or add? Great, do it! This list is not permanent, it’s evergreen. It will change and evolve as you do. 

This is lesson number 1: We are fluid and though our core values don’t change, things we like and things we don’t like change as we evolve, grow and move through life. 

Time for Lesson 2. 

Lesson 2: Be truthful with yourself. Those lists of the things you love likely align the closest with your core values. So honour them. At the bottom of your list, I want you to try to write out some of your core values. It’s okay if you’re not familiar with them. This one is tough.

Should you wish to get some external help, I often recommend this site to my clients as a starter. But, please note there are many free and paid-for options. My favourite activity though is to work through values worksheets. There are plenty available on the internet. Here’s one example if you’re interested.Once you’ve distilled down your core values, they become part of your toolkit. Yes, your toolkit. I will touch on this in a future blog post, but park that term for now. 

Great work! You’ve learned my top 2 lessons and opened your mind to introspection and self-exploration. It’s not easy so kudos to you. If you want an additional challenge, you can continue to challenge yourself by completing your 16personalities test or other psychometric testing. Please take the results with a grain of salt. It’s not meant to categorise you but rather provide you with information and possibility. 

And if you’re up for the challenge, it’s time to look from the outside in. Try to find your person, your sounding board. I explain more about this concept as part of a blog I wrote for Charity Comms UK here. Essentially, this will be a person who you trust will be honest and truthful with you and one who’s feedback you respect. 

Lesson 3: Your sounding board is key to your success and your career journey. They can be a mentor, partner, parent and even an old friend. 

Now you’re all set. You have identified things which are important to you, things you can keep in your toolkit and have also hopefully identified your sounding board. You’re all set to take on the next steps of creating a fulfilling and rewarding career for yourself.

The post Strengthening your career search through introspection appeared first on Jessica Avlis.

Elle Luna, author of one of my favourite blogs, shares her thoughts on what one MUST do versus what they SHOULD do. As a teaser to her blog, MUSTs are the things we’re compelled to do when being our authentic selves where as SHOULDs are those things we’re influenced to do. 

I was thinking about when the right time to read her article is and the truth is there is no one right time. Though two months into 2021, the effects of 2020 have not yet worn off. Maybe you’re at a place where you’re leaving school, changing jobs, defining your career or redefining your career, but how do you pivot? Where do you begin?

These are all extremely valid questions. 

Step one is to be honest with yourself. That little voice you’ve been hearing and ignoring is screaming louder and louder. It’s saying NOW. Not yesterday and not tomorrow but now.

So I invite you to clear your mind and take a read of Elle Luna’s blog. Keep a list of those things which you SHOULD do and those which you MUST do. 

For those who read this, ask yourselves how this fits within your career. After all, the average person works for 8 hours or 1/3 of a day for roughly 50 years of your life. If you were to spend this much time on anything, wouldn’t you pick an activity you enjoy? How is your career any different?

Let’s break things down a bit further. Name one thing you loved to do as a child. Something which brought you sheer joy. Does this one thing still have a place in your life? If not, why? For me, I love sharks. Just always had a fascination with them. Though not part of my daily career, they play a significant role in my personal life and my pastimes. 

As for my career, I could no longer ignore the urge to start my own business. I was at the crossroads of SHOULD and MUST. I chose must. I could no longer ignore the internal voice of needing to give back and build my career in this way. 

Why does this matter?

Many of us can live without addressing our MUSTs. They’re easy for us to compartmentalise and hide away but after a while, we expend more and more effort on keeping the truth from ourselves. If you don’t do the things you MUST and fill those with your SHOULDs, are you really living life for you?

There is never a good, perfect or ideal time to make a change. You just have to make it knowing you have every belief in your heart of keeping it. Knowing and trusting that you will do all it takes to get yourself closer to what you want in life. “

I invite you to take that journey with me – you won’t regret it!

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