What does a Hiring Manager look for?

Each job has on average more than 100 applicants applying. This makes each job highly competitive and increases the importance of having an application that will help you stand out from the crowd. The importance of having a professional written resume, tailored cover letter and seleciton critera that meets the STAR method is of highest importance.

Being a Hiring Manager for over 20 years, we will explore what we look for when shortlisting applications.

Keep it Simple

Many people are under the impression that the key to a successful job application is adding in a significant amount of detail and having a resume with different colours and fancy graphics. Being a Hiring Manager time is often very limited, and recruitment can be very reactive rather than proactive. One example would be when someone resigns, we are unable to plan ahead and it is often unexpected. Recruiting someone is of highest priorty and often the manager urgently needs to find a replacement within weeks. When there is over 100 applications, the chances of the manager reading word by word of the job application is one in a million. Keeping this in mind, the structure of your resume is critical in you getting shortlisted for an interview. Naturally when reviewing a application, you are reading from top to bottom and then left to right. On average, employers will look at resumes for six to seven secords.

Tailor your application

Each job advertisement will have specific job criteria and minimum requirements such as experienced, qualifications and personal attributes that are required to be successful in the job being advertised. It is very important to tailor both your Resume and Cover letter to meet the requirements of the role. One example would be if the employer is looking for someone with a minimum of 2-3 years experience within a specifc industry, it would be important that your resume and cover letter highlights your passion and specific skills and experience within this industry.

Values of the organisation

Every organisation will have their own values and mission statement. Organisation values are a set of core beliefs set by the organisation. They provide the organisation with purpose and direction, and set a standard for how the staff engage with its customers, employees and key stakeholders. All employers will consider if your personal values connect with the organisations values. When these do not connect, you will not be considered as a perspective employee for the organisation you are applying for