Taking work on a freelance, temporary or voluntary basis will definitely help your prospects; in addition, you should be using all your contacts from previous employmentOnce you think you have found the job you really want, the next thing is to apply, be invited for interview and be offered the job; however, it is often not as straightforward as this. There are people in certain categories who may struggle to secure invitations to interview for jobs, even though they may seem like the ideal candidate on paper. Here we look at what you can do to improve your chances and how you might be able to at least secure an interview for that dream job.
Overqualified for the role applied for
There may be many reasons why someone who is overqualified might apply for a particular job. Some people might prefer a role with less responsibility, either for family reasons, work life balance, or just because they prefer a particular aspect of their job that on its own is a lower-level role. Over-qualification can confuse recruiters, who may be wondering why such a person wants to apply. If this sounds like you, the best thing to do is to provide this information in a covering letter or in a positioning statement on your CV.
Someone who changes jobs regularly
If you are somebody who has frequently changed jobs, any prospective employer is going to want to know why. The best way to deal with this is to turn the high number of jobs into an advantage and illustrate how a prospective employer can benefit from the number of previous employers you have worked for.
It may be that you have acquired a wide and varied set of skills in addition to the ability to take on a variety of different roles for different sorts of employers. Clearly demonstrating any financial benefits that you brought to your previous employers will also help prospective employers to see your value more clearly.
Long-term unemployed
Although there are fewer unemployed people than at any time in the last 15 years, a reasonable percentage of those who are unemployed fall into the category of long-term unemployed. Reasons for this will vary, but there are steps you can take to try to make yourself more employable and attractive to potential employers if you fall into this category.
Taking work on a freelance, temporary or voluntary basis will definitely help your prospects; in addition, you should be using all your contacts from previous employment – who may be more willing to overlook employment gaps – to try to maximise your chances. You should also contact potential employers directly, even when there might not be a current vacancy.
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