5 Job Seekers Who Struggle To Land Interviews and How to Help

Is your job search a continuous struggle and you can’t seem to figure out why you aren’t getting called for interviews?

Perhaps you’re one of the candidates whose CV gets turned down every time, and you are close to giving up.

Whether it’s learning how to write a great CV, or figuring out how to explain why you have been unemployed for so long, the hardest part is simply knowing where your weaknesses in your CV lie.

Find out, if you’re one the five types of job seekers that have a harder time writing their CVs and what you can do to fix that.

Types of Job Seekers Who Struggle To Find Jobs and What You Can Do To Fix It

1.The Job Hopper

Job hopping is a trend that has been introduced by young employees who are commonly referred to as Millenials.

The idea that moving from one job to another 4 times in a year is considered to be ideal for some. Many quantify the number of companies they have worked for as their work experience, rather than the number of years one has been working.

On the contrary, this should not be. When it comes to hiring, companies will want to get maximum value from their employees.

Needless to say that, a CV that screams nothing but a case of job hopping tells the employer one thing: You cannot be committed to one company for a good amount of time.

They will probably be asking themselves, “Why should I hire this person, while it is clear they are likely to quit after a few months?”

What You can Do

You have to assure the hiring manager that you’re worth the risk, and you can do that by adding achievements in your CV.

Use the XYZ approach when you add an achievement.

E.g. In situation X, I did Y, which led to Z.

This will help the employer to let their guard down and trust you.

N.B: Do not omit the dates you worked, even if you have been to 5 companies in one year. Employers have a way of finding out.

Read Also >>> 4 Ways Job Hopping Can Kill Your Career Success

2. The Complicated Career Progresser

This is the case where you start out as a Manager and get demoted. Maybe it was a voluntary downgrade, maybe not.

Getting demoted is not necessarily destructive, but you have to consider how to present it on your CV without throwing off the employer.

What you can do

If you voluntarily downgraded your role, all you need to do is to provide a brief explanation as a side note.

If you were straight up demoted, you can decide to omit the job from your CV, as long as it doesn’t create a gap in your experience section.

If that’s not your ideal plan, draw attention to transferable skills from that job and your accomplishments instead of featuring your managerial skills and responsibilities.

Overall, try redirecting attention to your current role and skill set and place your managerial skills in less prominent places in your CV.

4. The chronically unemployed candidate

I know what it’s like to be chronically unemployed, and I totally understand anyone who is frustrated with their job search, but this is not the time to give up.

Perhaps you were laid off or you can’t seem to find work; maybe you’re a stay at home parent who wants to rejoin the workforce.

Either way, your CV has to handle the gaps in your job history.

What you can do

Kick off the CV with an introduction about yourself and start with an activity in your experience section that could include non-profit work, freelance work, or volunteer work.

Finish with Education or previous work experience, even if you gained it 10 years ago.

Related Article >>> How to Make the Gaps in Your CV Work for You

5. The overqualified candidate

Voluntarily applying for a job you are overqualified for is quite suspicious. Managers end up making many assumptions.

What you can do

Convince the Manager that you’re volunteering for underemployment for a good reason that may include: you want to go back to doing creative work or you want better work-life balance.

Managers may assume that you will demand more money or you won’t be happy working with people who are less experienced.

Therefore, address all these issues in a cover letter, and inform the manager right away that you are not in the wrong place.

5. The Non-Specialized Job Seeker

If you are skilled in many professions such as Sales, Admin or HR simultaneously, it’s safe to say you are an unspecialized job seeker.

Don’t worry, this is not necessarily a bad thing. You just have to focus your CV so that it doesn’t appear like a hot mess of random skills.

What you can do

Mention relevant skills that are applicable to the role you are applying for. Also, combine the skills and sum them up to give you a defined skill set.

e.g.

Admin Assistant, Company XYZ

Organization

• Reduced response time for client inquiries by 20% through the implementation of an innovative filing system.

Marketing Manager at Company ABC

Leadership

• Spearheaded a team of 10+ employees to implement rebranding of all marketing materials company-wide.

In conclusion, being one of these types of job seekers should not discourage you. Rather, you should just take more time on your CV to rectify any areas that can disqualify you easily.

Need professional CV writing help? Click here to speak to a Professional.

Got comments or questions? Leave them below. Susan is a Communications Officer at Career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke