Solomon Perkins

A part of the difficulty in landing a job in Ja is crafting an effective cover letter and CV that say exactly what they want

— Gerbs (@GerbryJA) March 24, 2017

This was a tweet made by the thought provoking blogger, Mr. G. Bryan, which drew my attention to an issue faced by many new job applicants (myself included). I believe that this issue exposes a deeper question we’ve been trying to solve with the wrong approach.

Personally, I believe that the business community places too much focus on that 1-3 page document. The content in this traditional talisman should not be the main deciding factor as to whether you get the new job or not. I’m therefore proposing a shift in how we go about preparing for the job market. I once heard that marketing is everything so the question we should be asking is: how do we present our skills more effectively and can the resume/CV suffice?

The only thing constant is change.

The same can be said for the job market and I believe that we should be constantly adjusting our approach so as to maintain our competitive advantage. We’ve become accustomed with doing things the traditional sense within an ever changing environment. My advice is to market yourself as a package rather than just what is on your resume & CV. So as a believer in challenging the status quo, let me share my “Two cents” on how you can create that killer package - Be a Chameleon.

The Traditional Approach

Traditionally speaking, we’ve been taught that the steps required in getting a good job involve:

1. Attend school (college preferably) and get straight A’s

2. Then create that perfect 1-2 page resume with a dashing CV as if it was written by the queen herself.

3. Apply to the top companies. Then prepare for the interview by looking at yourself in the mirror and swat the answers to the most common interview questions - Repeat until.

4. Turn up to your interview like a king: dress code shaper than a razor, spotless resume and speaking like the queen’s representative.

The Caveats

I agree that the traditional approach can land you a job but the issue lies in its effectiveness in communicating your worth to the interested party. Let us identify a few pitfalls in this approach.

1. The first issue is that getting all A’s doesn’t necessarily equate to you being competent within a particular field of study - I can swat my way to the top.

2. The next issue is around marketing your skills on your resume and CV. Think of an interview as doing a 5 minutes elevator pitch without samples of your work. Having just a resume lacks prototype, the interviewer spends more time identifying your abilities as opposed to validating your skills.

3. Placing too much focus on the most asked interview questions is also an overkill. Too much attention on FAQs for interviews results in less focus on your skills and capabilities but more so on the well-written resume/CV. You, the interviewee, should be driving that session by focusing on what you wish to highlight about yourself.

My Advice

The approach I’m about to outline is not based on any scientific data/research, it is based on my personal experience and what worked for me - challenging the status quo worked. I also noticed that the current shift in the business industry supplements these points. So let us get on with the show:

1. First thing, find a summer job in your field. This is an important step as it will aid in connecting your course material to the real world. Sometimes landing a paid summer job maybe a challenge, so volunteering is the next best option. Besides volunteering maybe the better option in the long run. Either way it is a win-win as it will improve your professional network while providing hands-on experience.

2. Bang out a few side projects. Irrespective of your specialisation there is always a side project you can do that will showcase your skills and understanding. This will not only help in showcasing your talent but you may learn a thing or two. As a word of encouragement a lot of business ideas started out as side projects.

3. That coursework still has value. Of all the courses you’ve done, I’m sure there were a few course related projects. Package them to be more presentable is a great idea even if they aren’t at the professional level - learning your craft maybe untidy at first. Be sure to check if your school is ok with you using those course materials - don’t be ignorant, go check.

4. Time to consolidate your work. After you’ve done such a tremendous work gaining practical experience it is now time to package and summarise what you’ve done thus far. Irrespective of your feild of study you can represent your materials in various forms: graphs, summary, pictures etc. Take for example a law student: simple graphs showing hidden patterns in court cases that you’ve noticed works. I recommend creating a blog or portfolio (similar to what I did here). Essentially providing visual proof of your capabilities.

5. Time to focus on that resume & CV. So having done all that amazing stuff it is time to start working on your resume. Try not to create it in silo, find a career manager at your institution who may be able to provide feedback. The expert may rip your “well-written” resume into pieces but it is a learning process - no pain no gain. So pick up the pieces and iterate on your resume and revisit the centre for more feedback - never give up.

#AlternativeFacts or Legitimate Advice?

Fun fact, none of what I am telling you is a myth. I’ve performed all the steps outlined and I can safely say that this approach works. I was hired by Medullan with the said approach despite the fact that there were other students who had much higher grades. The only difference between me and them was my approach, I had opted to showcase my skills rather than putting too much focus on the old talisman. During that interview, roughly 90% of the time was spent focusing on my skills (actual prototypes and portfolio) and NOT my resume.

Job Recruitment Qualifications? N/A

As a form of disclaimer, I have no formal qualification in recruitment or human resource management. However, I have played an assistant role in one of our recruitment drives. Sitting on the other side was an amazing experience and I got an opportunity to evaluate the various approach used by applicants. The most interesting thing that I noticed was that other members of the panel applied that the said 90-10% strategy.

Essentially this approach will ensure that your skills take precedence and the resume acts as a reference point or a matter of formality. Irrespective of your career field there is a way for you to express your skills.

Besides action speaks louder than words.

I firmly believe that this approach provides the missing validation piece required by your resume. With this approach, you may not need to focus on customizing that resume after all.

Wish you all the best.

Just a side note: The @CareerJamaica & #leggocareer2017 hash tag on twitter have a few job opportunites, you should check them out - still checkout the companies even if the opportunities expire.