Third Thursday Thoughts, 11th Edition

Matchmaking isn’t just about introducing two parties and walking away. To succeed, matchmakers must form a close bond with their clients. The same holds true for elite recruiters. Determining a great fit between a client’s business culture and a potential employee requires that you know your candidate and nurture that relationship.

Savvy recruiters do more than vet the abilities, experience and qualifications of their candidates. They engage them, communicate with them and learn about them.

Recruiting today’s generation of talent is more of a courtship than a resume ranking exercise. We don’t nurture productive relationships in our romantic lives by submitting a list of qualifications and negotiating terms; we pursue those who share our visions and our passions. By utilizing some of the approaches used by proven matchmakers, we can do more than just fill positions – we can help forge a rewarding relationship between our candidates and clients.

Statistically, the average person will have two long-term relationships, two heartbreaks and a whole number of bad dates before they find “the one”.

For most of us the path to true love doesn’t run smoothly, and the same can be said for the journey to finding the perfect job. It can feel like an endless cycle of applications and interviews, with no offers at the end of it.

Whether you’re searching for a new relationship or a new job, a lot of the same hurdles exist, but never fear, there are ways to get over them and get what you deserve.

Searching through job websites trying to find the perfect one can feel a lot like Tinder. You come across one you like the look of, you apply and anxiously wait to see if it’s a match. Even if you do match the criteria, there’s so much competition out there, how do you know they’ll be interested?

As with dating, the key to finding the one is to stand out, be honest and, most importantly, be confident. On average, 118 people apply for any given job, so don’t be afraid to big yourself up! Make that CV and cover letter as good as it can be. Always relate your skills back to the job specification and let them know you’ve done your research. Fight for what you want and make it your time to be noticed.

Rejection in any aspect of life is never a nice feeling, but rejection after you thought you smashed an interview can be extremely disheartening for a job search. After getting over the initial disappointment, remember that resilience is key, so the best way to recover is to re-group and come back stronger.

Use their feedback, write down the tough questions they asked and absorb as much of the experience as possible. Interviews are a skill, and you can and will get better at them. Come back stronger and it’s onto the next one!

Essentially, a job interview is a much more professional first date. You’re meeting for the first time, trying to be memorable and make a good impression. The only major difference between a first date and an interview is that talking about your ex (jobs) is a must!

It’s important to get your personality across but you also don’t want to scare them off (don’t let your crazy show until you’re at least a few dates deep, or in job terms – until you’ve secured the job)!

It always helps to come prepared, so for an interview, arm yourself with answers for the standard interview questions as well as those pesky behavioral “describe a time when” questions. Now, go get ’em.

A sense of perspective is one of the most important things to remember with the job search. Rejection is part of life but it’s also not the be all and end all. So, you didn’t get the job you really wanted? Take it on the chin and press on because there’s plenty more fish in the sea.