I’ve spent a lot of years applying for jobs/promotions and getting nothing due for a few specific reasons. Once I changed my tailored my resume and prepared for my interviews I got the very next IT job I applied for. In the current economic climate it could be very hard to find work due to Coronavirus. But, here are some other things to consider.
Failing to tailor the resume to the position
My resume had so much focus on the skills that I pride myself in without asking if those skills even mattered for the position I was applying for. Ask a few friends who are already in the position for a copy of their resume and look at which of their bullet points also apply to your skills. Use your own words in your resume. Make sure the most important points are the easiest to find.
Hiring managers aren’t always going to take their time looking at everything. Especially when they are asked to sit in on interview panels and may have only had 1 minute or two to look at it before calling you in to the interview.
Preparing for the interview
Compile a list of possible questions. Look for questions online for the position. Watch plenty of YouTube videos to get questions and answers. Pull the job description and create interview questions based on the bullet points. Write these questions on a list and the possible answers with examples. You won’t be able to predict what questions they will ask but if you have enough canned, and well thought out answers, you’ll have enough in your brain during the interview to answer most of the questions with not hesitation.
Actually answer the questions. Make sure the answers show that you have the knowledge needed, and a real world example that illustrates the skill. Ensure you use these during mock interviews.
Mock interviews might sound silly, do it anyways. Ask an honest friend to ask you the questions that you’ve prepared. Find YouTube videos, there are Make sure you are well prepared for these questions using the STAR method of explaining an example. You might have all the right answers in the world, but if you don’t realize that you’re sounding like an ass, you’re not getting hired anywhere.
Tailoring your interview answers to the job posting. If you have a degree and you’re applying for entry level jobs that don’t typically require a degree. You may be focusing your interview answers on your degree based info and not enough on the job description that you are applying for.
Final Note
Lastly, always consider all the side work you’ve done as a part of your employment history. If you have charged to fix laptops or spotty WIFI’s make sure that’s in there as self employed IT work.
Hopefully this helps you land your dream job.