Crew ConsultingLooking for a new job can be intimidating. Not necessarily the job itself, but the process you have to go through: preparing your CV, going to interviews, getting rejected, and managing your expectations.
And on top of all that, how do you know if you’re good enough for this role?
There’s a lot to navigate at this pivotal point in your life, and at Crew we want to make it easier for you. Our Christchurch-based consultant Ralph Teo is on hand today to talk through some of the common concerns and challenges that jobseekers face at each stage of the recruitment process, and how you can either take control of the situation or reframe your mindset to reinvigorate your confidence.
First, we’ll cover some frequently asked questions and concerns, before Ralph provides some top advice to make landing your new job easier.
Your frequently asked questions, answered
How should I prepare my CV?
“This is one we get lots of questions about: how should I prepare my CV, what should it look like, how does it come across to employers …” explains Ralph, “The key thing to know is that your CV should change for every job, to make sure your included experience is both recent and relevant.”
It’s important to curate your CV for each new application to keep it focused and to the point. For each role on your CV, add a little context for example what projects you were involved in, what special skills you learned or mastered, and what you were good at or known for in the team.
How do I know if I’m good enough for this job?
“Self-esteem can be a strangely gendered issue when it comes to job applications. In IT, male applicants are way more confident than females. Men will look at a list of five things and if they tick one or two they’ll apply, whereas women will want to tick four or five out of five before they feel confident enough to apply.”
“I would encourage any women to go and apply for as many roles as they can, even if they only tick one or two boxes. Go for those bigger roles, take a chance. Tech can be such a male-dominated area, and women’s voices and perspective add so much to the conversation – but only if they’re applying for roles and getting a chance to be in that room.”
How should I discuss a redundancy?
There’s a sense of shame that can come with redundancy, and a feeling that it should be hidden from your CV, when in actual fact redundancy isn’t a bad thing – it’s a business decision that was out of your control. It’s not a reflection of your individual worth.
“Don’t be afraid of writing down that you were made redundant. If anything, it can be a bonus to show that you’re available immediately as opposed to having to wait out a notice period.”
Why did I get rejected?
There are many reasons why your application might be rejected, a large number of which have nothing to do with you. Like with redundancy, hiring managers are making decisions based on business goals – perhaps someone else came at a lower price, or had an extra skill, or fit better with a major client of the business.
“In the moment, being told no can be hard to hear, but once the emotion passes you can move on and continue applying for other things. It’s a decision that’s out of your control, so being angry or upset or obsessing over it won’t change anything about it.”
Can I ask for feedback?
So you’ve been rejected and you want to know why – perhaps there was something you could do better? If you’re working with a recruiter (like Crew here, hi!) you can ask your recruitment consultant for feedback. We’ll do our best to help you understand why that decision was made and what – if anything – you can change for next time. Bear in mind that every role you apply for is different, so the feedback will be unique to that situation – you don’t have to rush out and learn a new language because one company said they preferred it.
What should I look out for in a recruiter?
On that note, if you’re asking for feedback and your recruiter either ignores or doesn’t answer your question, that’s a red flag that they might not be the best person for you. Good recruiters will always come back to your questions and try to help as much as possible – it’s our business to build relationships forged on strong communication.
“Even if we’re delivering a message you don’t want to hear, the key part is that we’re communicating with you. If you feel ghosted or ignored by your recruiter, that’s a good sign to start looking somewhere else. A good recruiter wants to see you thrive – we genuinely care about placing you somewhere you’ll love, and we’ll do what we can to help make that a reality.”
Ralph’s top advice for navigating the recruitment process
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Know your timeframes
The recruitment process can sometimes feel long, but if you’re waiting a month to hear back from an application that’s not really reasonable. “A long process would be expected to involve multiple stages like interviews, maybe a test, not months-long silences between acknowledgement and next steps. If you don’t hear back from someone in a reasonable timeframe, it’s acceptable to follow up via email to double-check that your application has been received.” -
Meet your recruiter
This person will be responsible for placing you in a business where you’ll hopefully fit in and thrive – but how can they do that if their only knowledge of you is from your CV? “One of the first things you should do after sending off your CV to a recruiter is arrange to meet them face to face, or via video call if you’re in a different city. This ensures you’re a good match, but also allows them to understand more about who you are and your personality – all those little unique bits that get missed on paper.” -
Prepare a cover letter
Repeat after me: a cover letter should be an addition to your CV, not a repeat of what’s on there. Cover letters are often underestimated, but a good cover letter should explain why you’re applying for this role and show that you’ve taken the time to read the job listing and do some research. It can go a long way to make you stand out from the pack simply by putting in that effort. -
Do your research
When preparing your cover letter, you’ll need to do some due diligence. “It really counts against you if it’s clear you haven’t read up on what you’re applying for. If they ask for attention to detail, make sure your CV is mistake-free or you’ll turn people off straight away.” Read up on who the company is, what the role is, and the particular skills they need you to have to ensure your CV is curated toward the role and your cover letter speaks to what drew you to it. -
Honesty is the best policy
This one is simple: Always stick to the truth. “If it’s something you know, say you know it. If it’s something you’ve done, say you’ve done it. If you don’t know it, don’t say you do and think that no one will notice. You’ll get called out and easily discovered when they ask you about it in the interview. If you can’t back up what you write in your CV, that’ll draw the rest of your experience into question, and you could be written off completely before they even get to the parts you were telling the truth about. It’s not worth it.” One thing you can do is bring up other things you’ve done that might be similar and explain how you believe your skills can crossover. It’s much better to admit you don’t know something but are willing to learn than to get caught in a lie you can’t come back from.
How Crew can help secure your next role
We’re about more than just finding a job
“We don’t just look for work for people. At any given time we may be helping someone set out their CV, providing market insights or tips for interviewing, or giving feedback on applications.”
We understand what the market is looking for and how to put your best foot forward. Because we work so closely with businesses, we can help you to understand the hiring team before you even step into the room – what the team is made up of, how the manager likes their answers, what they might ask – so you can interview with confidence.
We’re connectors
“Our main role is relationship and connection-building – we know what’s happening in the tech space, so we can help you find where to go whether it’s networking events, ongoing study, or companies you’d vibe with. If you’re moving to one of our cities for the first time, we can help you get connected with the community in that area before you even move so you’re not alone when you hit the ground.”
“We’ll also help you find a job too, of course. But it’s only one string to our bow.”