You have decided it’s time to make a new step in your career, but where do you start? In this article, we give you an overview with tips on how to start your search for your dream job!
As recruiters, we are regularly approached by candidates who need help with their career planning. Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to become when they are older, others need more time exploring their interests, skills, personality and values to decide which path to take. This process can be complicated, where do you start? Thankfully there are great tools available to help you making a strategic plan to reach your career goals. One of them is the SWOT analysis, which can help you get a clear view of where you are now and where you want to go. When you have that figured out, the next step is to know what steps you need to take to get there. A Gap Analysis can help you with that, as it helps you to identify what knowledge and skills you need to acquire or improve in order to fill the gap between you and your dream job.
When you know what career path you want to take, the next step before starting to apply for jobs is to make sure that it’s easy for recruiters (and sometimes even online applicant tracking systems) to see the match between your experience and the job described. Look closely at task descriptions and make sure that your relevant experiences for this specific job are clearly mentioned in your CV. This also means you should reevaluate your CV for each position you apply for.
Talk to family and friends about possible opportunities, perhaps you will find they know someone who works at your dream company who can help you with strengthening your application (for example by recommending you at HR). Update your LinkedIn profile and check if you have any connections at the company you are applying at.
It’s also good to approach an internal recruiter to ask a few questions about the vacancy. Take note, don’t ask questions that you could have answered for yourself by reading the job description or by taking a look at the company website. This can come off as unprepared and lax.
This is also where recruitment agencies come in handy. They have connections you can take advantage of and sometimes have vacancies that you won’t find on the company websites. Recruitment agencies can also help you with explaining your resume to hiring managers/recruiters of the company they are recruiting for.
When you are actively looking for a job it’s very common to apply for multiple jobs in a short amount of time. When doing this make sure you track your applications so you can remember where you’ve applied and it’s important to follow up with the potential employers.
When you have landed an interview, make sure you come prepared. For starters, look thoroughly at the job description, the company website and look up the people you are meeting with. For more pointers go to our articles about interview preparation:
Just imagine, you have had a great interview but the hiring manager has spoken to another candidate that matches their vacancy just as well. How can you make yourself stand out and make sure you are the one they choose? One thing you can do is writing a thoughtful thank you letter to the person(s) you have had the interview with. This way you stay ‘top of mind’ and they will know you are seriously interested in the position.
Now go on with your job search and applications, and make this your best year yet!
This year Treasurer Search was present with a stand at the FinanzSymposium of SLG in Mannheim for the first time. We found candidates for clients in Germany before and could now announce our local presence. We were also there to learn in what aspects the German labour market is different from others. Our visit was a big success, we met many, learned a lot, and could already discuss assignments.
Treasurer Search brings its expertise and many years of experience in treasury recruitment to Germany. With an experienced local team, personal networking opportunities and a broad network, we offer you tailor-made solutions for your treasury recruitment needs. Become part of our community now and benefit from our know-how!
Learn how a local presence adds value to treasury recruitment in 2023. Discover the benefits of having a solid understanding of treasury functions, networking with industry experts, and having expertise in local recruitment.
