As talent acquisition manager at the Orthodox Union, I fill positions for the Jewish organization’s myriad departments, such as Yachad, NCSY and Teach Coalition. It’s extremely meaningful to find the right people to best help those with special needs, high school teens interested in Jewish programming and families seeking affordable education, respectively.
The average person spends about one-third of their life at work. In other words, approximately 33% of your life is spent working, which makes it crucial to enjoy what you do. To achieve this, you must first successfully identify the right jobs to apply for and then skillfully navigate the interview process. Knowing how to present yourself from your initial interaction with the company, which will likely be a phone call with someone from its talent acquisition team, will give you an advantage over your competition.
Since Sept. 4 is Global Talent Acquisition Day, I thought I’d share some insights and best practices I’ve learned from my decade in the field on how to get noticed and land your dream job.
The résumé
Unfortunately, the average résumé gets seen for only about seven seconds, so you need to make it count. Take the time to sit down with it and edit it to perfection. You should have a general résumé (which should be confined to one page, especially for an entry-level position), but be sure to customize it based on the job you’re applying for. For example, if you used to be a project manager and now you’re looking to become a manager for people, make sure to highlight instances where you managed people as opposed to products. Similarly, if you’re trying to move to a job where you’ll be involved with budgeting, reorder your résumé to showcase a time you’ve successfully handled a budget. Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for results and metrics, so try to include concrete numbers if you can. The important last step is to have someone else review your copy since it can be difficult to detect your own mistakes.
The interview
Understand that every single interaction matters. From the moment you apply for a job, every email and phone call counts. Speaking and writing professionally throughout the entire process are seen by talent acquisition teams as data points about a candidate to be considered. In other words, the interview does not start when you shake hands with the hiring manager at an in-person interview. Rather, it begins with your initial communication with talent acquisition, continues with being polite with the receptionist upon entering the office for an in-person interview, and ends only once you have received and accepted a job offer. Meeting the hiring manager is already likely at least the third important interaction you’ll have by the time the interview begins. With this in mind, be sure that every email you send to anyone within the organization is polished and error-free. Also be sure to dress professionally for the interview, whether it’s in-person or virtual. If you’re interviewing at a small startup, it may be fitting to wear more casual clothing. For most major organizations, though, nobody would fault you for wearing a jacket and tie if you’re unsure what to wear. Other key tips for professionalism are to arrive for the interview 15 minutes early, be confident and polite throughout, and send a thoughtful “thank you” email after it’s over to everyone you interviewed with.
The networking process
There’s an analogy in the human resources industry that networking is like farming, whereas applying for jobs blindly is like hunting. Meaning, meeting a lot of people and handing the right people your résumé is like planting seeds. It’s hard work, but you will reap the rewards, even if the benefits are not immediate. On the other hand, applying for jobs online is like throwing spears at an animal; you may be successful eventually, but it might take dozens or even hundreds of attempts of throwing something in the air and hoping it hits. Besides talent acquisition professionals, it’s a good idea to network with others in the industry. People by nature want to be helpful, and I’ve found that this is especially true in the Jewish community, where we see one another as brothers and sisters. Once you’ve secured that job, pay it forward. Be that person who reviews résumés for others and takes the time to give them advice.
As the saying goes, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
