Corporate Staffing Recruitment Manager Muthoni Ndegwa Advices On Why Employers Are Ignoring Your Applications

By Lilian Wamaitha
How long has it been since you started job hunting?
A few months, a year or three years?
I can’t tell you how many emails I have received from job seekers asking the same question. “Why can’t I seem to land a job anywhere even when I have all the qualifications?”
The job market is very competitive and as such you will find that you will be competing for the same limited number of vacancies with so many people some who are even more qualified than you.
It is what you do to stand out that determines if you get that job.
I sat down with Ms. Muthoni Ndegwa, a recruitment manager at Corporate Staffing Services to shed light on why so many applications go unnoticed and this is what she had to say;
1. You are focusing on quantity and not quality
Most job seekers think that they are more likely to land a job by applying to so many positions. This is not true.
“The number of jobs you are applying to doesn’t matter. Instead, focus on the job itself. Which position do you think you can best fit at? Which one can you make a real contribution and at the same time grow in your career?” Ms. Ndegwa says.
She notes that some job seekers even go to the extent of applying for all the positions advertised by one company.
“First of all, this shows desperation on your part and it also gives off the feeling that you have no idea what you want in life. As a recruitments manager, I will be weary of a candidate who has applied for that sales, procurement and even IT job that I have advertised,”
She advises that you should learn to focus on the job itself and not the number of positions you have applied to in a day.
“Ask any employer in Kenya and they will confirm that over 70% of the job applications made don’t really match the job,”
Now the question is; do you want to be in the majority who apply for any job or the 30% who only apply for those positions that suit them?
2. You are applying for the wrong jobs
“I can’t tell you how many CVs I have had to throw out because they did not match the job qualifications.”
While it’s advisable to go for what you want, when it comes to job search, employers prefer candidates who know what they want and are qualified for the position.
“Naturally, when employers advertise jobs, they know what they are looking for and you should make sure that you meet most of those qualifications,” she says.
3. Your personal brand is weak
“Personal branding refers to the art of packaging yourself for the job market by marketing and positioning your skills and competencies in such a way that you stand out among the other applicants,” Ms. Ndegwa says.
So, the question you should be asking yourself is, are you branding yourself as an expert in your field?
“When you are applying for that Sales Manager job, what is your CV communicating? Are you an expert? How about the way you sell yourself in the interview? This is all what personal branding is about,” she retorts.
You Must See This >>> How Unemployment Pushed Me Out Of My Comfort Zone To Start And Run A Successful Business
4. You have a poorly written CV
We have done so many articles on how to write the perfect CV but yet so many people keep on making the same mistakes on their CV.
“Unless you are a good friend or know the person who will be reviewing your CV, I recommended that you get yourself a professional CV, Recruiters are not all about getting applications for to close the position. Presentation matters and you’re a CV tells a lot about you seeing that it is the first contact I have with you before we met for an interview,” says Ms. Ndegwa.
Chances are that you will be reviewed by a total stranger who will judge you solely based on your CV, she cautions.
Therefore, have a document that convinces an employer that you are the person suitable for the job and this includes having well-outlined duties that correspond to what the employer is looking for. Detail achievements that will position you as an ideal candidate also.
5. You are applying for jobs at the wrong time
“It makes a lot of difference when you apply for a job. From experience, whenever an advert goes out, we start short listing immediately people start applying,”
There are candidates who will call one day to the deadline to inquire whether the position is still open, she says.
“Candidates normally imagine that short listing starts after the closing date. The internet has changed things. Few firms wait for the closing date. What this means is that if you are applying for a job five or seven days after the advert there’s a high chance you might miss on the interview invite because the advertiser has already gotten enough candidates.”
6. You are not networking with the right people
Networking is the key to a successful job search. You cannot overlook the power that right networks do to your job search and career.
“Those friends you are meeting for coffee or that stranger who strikes a conversation with you in a matatu maybe the difference between you being unemployed and sitting at that office doing what you love, advices Ms. Ndegwa.
“With good networks, you get to learn of open positions even before they are announced,” she concludes.
A lot of the time, as you have seen, the differences between you getting hired and keeping on applying for so many job lies in your job search. What are you doing to position yourself as the best candidate out there? Whatever you do, at the end of the day ensure that your effort is geared towards this.
Lilian is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya. Do you have any questions regarding successful job search? Email your queries to lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke and I will get back to you.