According to government employment services consultant Sheena Reyes- Santos there are good habits that can help boost employability and there are also bad habits that can ruin one’s chances of being hired.
The DO's in job application
Ms Santos shares a jobseeker should crave for continuous learning by upskilling.
“There’s a lot of free courses online provided by the government and other private agencies. Those courses are formulated here in Australia. It pays to do those free courses and add it on your resume. It increases employability by paper.”
While jobseekers number one tool for job searching is their resume, they need to back it up with good interview skills.
“Check out videos online on interview skills. There are also services that provide assistance with interview preparations skills. Even uni, they offer career workshops so make sure you attend those. They’re the ones who will help you with the process of job searching.”
She adds that in a job interview, employers are seeking for a potential employee who is the right fit for the company.
Most importantly, Ms Santos shares jobseekers must improve on their physical presentation.
"Improve on your personal presentation or your appearance with how you present yourself in an interview. Do your research on what clothes to wear, hair style and even make up. It pays to research the company.”
“One trick that I teach job seekers is to have a look at the company website. The models in their company website is usually their preferred look or company culture. Do your research because that will tell you a lot of things about the company.”
Jobseekers should improve on their physical presentation. Source: E+
The DON'Ts in job application
On the other hand, Ms Santos shares there are habits jobseekers should avoid like rushing their application.
“Make sure you spend time in crafting your resume. Not necessarily putting fake information in it. You want to make sure that whatever you put in your resume is directly targeted to that particular job that you’re applying for."
Ms Santos adds that jobseekers should not submit a generic cover letter.
“Always make sure you use a fresh cover letter every application. Every company have different goals, objectives and requirements. If your cover letter is not good, they won’t bother checking on your resume.”
Lastly, she shares unprofessional social media accounts can disqualify a jobseeker.
“Make sure your social media accounts are maintained professionally. Nowadays employers whether we like it or not, when they are in the requirement process, they stalk you.”
She adds, maintaining a Linkedin account can also be beneficial for jobseekers.
