Differentiate yourself from other candidates and make a strong impact with recruiters

With so many high-skilled candidates competing for the same position it is crucial for a job seeker to find ways to excel. Presently, submitting an online Resume is not enough anymore to be invited to an interview.

Despite the new technologies and tools available; reaching out directly to recruiters and decision makers remains the best way to stand out. For both, recruiters and job hunters it is difficult to keep up and learn how to use them all, especially social media and networking platforms, but phone calls will never die!

“Job seekers should achieve to reach and create direct contact with correct decision makers in the target companies without waiting for an invitation. Key competencies needed would be networking, excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as, Cold Call methodology”, says Ugur Gencay, Owner and Recruiter at Stars Recruiting and Consulting, a company based in Toronto, Canada.

As for the Resume, the expert suggests customizing and reediting it with significant details according to each job post: “Once finalized, the Resume should match the majority of the requirements posted on the advertisement”.

Among Human Resources Managers, the most extended and recognized methodology to select candidates is based on competencies. Recruiters focus on soft skills (work ethic, attitude, communication, problem-solving, time management, etc.) and hard skills (specific knowledge and abilities, for instance: operating machine, use of software programs, etc.). “Recruiters should pay attention in a balanced and optimized way at all soft and hard skills requested by a given job opening. Candidate ranking should be done accordingly and as an outcome of serious assessments. I suggest recruiters to especially outsource “Personality Traits” analysis”, tells Gencay.

A crucial step in the recruitment process and perhaps one that candidates pay less attention is the references check. A bad reference can be the differencebetween getting or not the job.  “Another element of a successful selection is conducting effective reference checks. The trick for this action is to get reference feed-backs necessarily from first rank ex-superiors of the candidate”, explains Ugur Gencay.

Therefore, make a list of your professional references with their names, phone numbers and emails. Never give your data references with your Resume, keep them on a separate sheet and only give information when requested by the recruiter (usually after a successful interview). Inform your references that they may be contacted, keep a good relationship with them and appreciate their help, for example, send a thank you letter.

Consider that your referrals are your best spokespersons; it is important to build long term relationships with them and keep close contact, if you want to change jobs in a few years, you might need their help again.

Job opportunities in Canada

According to Gencay, job creation is currently ignited by financial activities. “Financial operations directly or indirectly generate various business investments leading to new employment demands. Naturally the Great Toronto Area (GTA) and in some extend, Ontario promise more opportunities.”

About Stars Recruiting and Consulting:

“Stars Recruiting and Consulting” is an Ontario based employment services agency, providing premium solutions to clients in a multitude of industries and niche areas.

They are capable to reach highly qualified professionals in Canada, United States and other parts of the world: European Union countries, Turkey, China, Japan, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Algeria are some of the source countries for the candidate search.

Aída Ulloa, Editor The Visionaries Media Follow us: Twitter @VisionariesMed www.facebook.com/thevisionariesmedia