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How to raise your chances to be employed?
Or, more precisely, what steps to take in the employment searching process
In order to get into a fruitful mindset, you need to raise your confidence in yourself.
Searching for a job is never an easy task, especially if your job experiences are not numerous. You need to keep in mind that employment-searching is a long process for which patience, stamina and high motivation are required.
Firstly, get your relatives and friends to each write two of your qualities on paper, read them and put them in a box. Each time you feel discouraged in your research, read these little notes and get a confidence boost. Moreover, this technique can help you write your qualities inside your CV. In the latter, you need a category that highlights your particularities which differentiate you from other job applicants. These qualities cannot be too generic, seem narcissistic or be considered as defaults by employers.
Firstly, get your relatives and friends to each write two of your qualities on paper, read them and put them in a box. Each time you feel discouraged in your research, read these little notes and get a confidence boost. Moreover, this technique can help you write your qualities inside your CV. In the latter, you need a category that highlights your particularities which differentiate you from other job applicants. These qualities cannot be too generic, seem narcissistic or be considered as defaults by employers.
Examples of good adjectives:
Dynamic,
Energetic,
Creative,
Altruistic,
Diplomatic,
Optimist,
Conscientious,
Pragmatic,
Intuitive,
Outgoing...
Energetic,
Creative,
Altruistic,
Diplomatic,
Optimist,
Conscientious,
Pragmatic,
Intuitive,
Outgoing...
Examples of what adjectives not to use:
Serious,
Productive,
Perfectionist,
Resilient,
Persuasive,
Humble,
Friendly...
Productive,
Perfectionist,
Resilient,
Persuasive,
Humble,
Friendly...
Then, you need to be ready to follow some important steps:
- Enhance your skills and create yourself some experience (read our article on the subject).
- Create a neat Linkedin account.
- Use an online platform to create an original and clear Resumé, then ask someone to review your CV.
- Start a generic cover letter that you can adapt according to the job you are applying to.
- Make a list of all companies you would be interested to work for and check their vacancies very regularly.
- Go to job interviews well-prepared (be there at least 15 minutes prior to the schedule, print your CV and copies of your diplomas, be ready to answer any question)?
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
- Consider hand-delivering your CV to some companies if their location is accessible to you.
- Do not hesitate to apply to all the vacancies that interest you even if you do not fill all the requirements (especially for internships).
- Identify, prior to an interview, clear examples of your skills and how your previous experiences helped you develop them.
- Network as much as you can.
- Contact companies directly to ask if they are hiring.
- Find someone who works in the field you fancy, to give you specific tips and highlight requirements that are appreciated by employers.
Enhance your skills: Be the actor of your life
Skill is the unified force of experience, intellect and passion in their operation - John Ruskin
The job market is often described as cramped, that is why you need to really differentiate yourself from other applicants. If you just got out of your studies and you do not have a lot of experience, it is your dedication and your uniqueness that can help you find a job. Furthermore, studies and hobbies are not enough to show your personality, thus you need to enhance your skills. Learning how to learn a skill is a long process, therefore you should work on it years before searching for a job.
Have FUN in the activities you are involved in, never do anything merely to put it on your CV, you need dedication!
Before looking for a job you need to build a profile that can give you key assets:
The skills that come from these pre-work experiences that you can stress in any cover letter:
Learning several skills at the same time can be overwhelming, give yourself goals and deadlines. However, always take time for personal life and leisure, rest your brain on an everyday basis.
Have FUN in the activities you are involved in, never do anything merely to put it on your CV, you need dedication!
Before looking for a job you need to build a profile that can give you key assets:
- language skills
- experiences abroad
- civil society engagement/ volunteer work
- internships
- study project
The skills that come from these pre-work experiences that you can stress in any cover letter:
- Ability to work as a team
- Understanding of an intercultural environment
- Tolerance and open-mindedness
- Understanding how the workplace/ associative environment works
- Decision-making
- Strategic thinking
- Dedication and human-centred approach
- Multi-tasking/ Adaptability
- Project management
- Time management
Learning several skills at the same time can be overwhelming, give yourself goals and deadlines. However, always take time for personal life and leisure, rest your brain on an everyday basis.
How to write a good CV
A few tips and tricks on how to get the perfect CV
Every venture begins with the first step. It is the same with the change or the search for a job, for which it is necessary to prepare application documents. You will find out where to start and how to correctly write a CV by checking the 5 next steps:
1____Check job offers
It is worth starting the preparation of a good CV by checking job offers in your specialization or the advertisements of interest to us. Particular attention should be paid to the requirements set by employers - which of them we meet, what competencies may be our advantage, what is worth working on to develop in a given field.
2____Prepare ... yourself
A curriculum vitae is a description of your professional life so far and more. One must find in memory both the history of professional experience and the education gained, as well as the courses completed, the qualifications obtained, and the competencies that distinguish us. At this stage of preparations, we also check whether we have a professional email address. A well-prepared one contains your first and last name (full, abbreviated or initials) and a serious domain.
3____Give the appropriate form
A good CV shows the candidate from the best side - as a professional and expert in their field. The graphic design of the document is underlining the described competencies. You should not forcefully distinguish your CV, e.g. graphically - it should be legible and transparent. However, it is worth using a good CV template and, depending on the needs, adapting it to the job offer you are interested in. The appropriate form and orderly content of the CV will be provided by a professional and proven tool -you can find them on the internet e.g. the CV Wizard or CvDesignR
4____Start writing!
Recruiters very often receive multiple CVs in response to a job offer. In order for the application to pass the first stage of the recruitment process, it must be complete and contain the information sought by the recruiter.
A good CV should include:
A good example:
English - intermediate level (B2, certified)
Russian - communicative (B1, freedom of conversation and reading texts and documentation)
Attention! Even in such an inconspicuous area as "Interests", it is not worth stretching the truth or lying - as in other sections of the CV.
Now your CV is ready - you deserve a cup of your favourite tea, and then ... go to work - APPLY!
1____Check job offers
It is worth starting the preparation of a good CV by checking job offers in your specialization or the advertisements of interest to us. Particular attention should be paid to the requirements set by employers - which of them we meet, what competencies may be our advantage, what is worth working on to develop in a given field.
2____Prepare ... yourself
A curriculum vitae is a description of your professional life so far and more. One must find in memory both the history of professional experience and the education gained, as well as the courses completed, the qualifications obtained, and the competencies that distinguish us. At this stage of preparations, we also check whether we have a professional email address. A well-prepared one contains your first and last name (full, abbreviated or initials) and a serious domain.
3____Give the appropriate form
A good CV shows the candidate from the best side - as a professional and expert in their field. The graphic design of the document is underlining the described competencies. You should not forcefully distinguish your CV, e.g. graphically - it should be legible and transparent. However, it is worth using a good CV template and, depending on the needs, adapting it to the job offer you are interested in. The appropriate form and orderly content of the CV will be provided by a professional and proven tool -you can find them on the internet e.g. the CV Wizard or CvDesignR
4____Start writing!
Recruiters very often receive multiple CVs in response to a job offer. In order for the application to pass the first stage of the recruitment process, it must be complete and contain the information sought by the recruiter.
A good CV should include:
- Personal data - include name and surname, telephone number, e-mail address, place of residence (city and province), optional date of birth. This data is important primarily to enable the recruiter to contact the candidate.
- Work experience - this is the most important element of your CV. It must contain not only the name and time of the positions held in succession (from the newest), but also their description or listing the most important areas of responsibility. At this stage, it is worth listing the areas that will be particularly valuable for a potential employer in response to a specific job offer.
- Education - in reverse chronology, we summarize the stages of education that may be important for the recruiter. We should remember that we can opt-out of presenting a high school here, if its profile will not matter in our future work or when we graduated from high school or technical school many years ago.
- Foreign languages - describe not only the languages known by the candidate but also the levels of their knowledge.
A good example:
English - intermediate level (B2, certified)
Russian - communicative (B1, freedom of conversation and reading texts and documentation)
- Skills - competencies that distinguish a candidate from others and make them good at their job. Let's not limit ourselves to the most popular ones. Let's think if there is something special that distinguishes us from our competencies, e.g. the ability to negotiate, the ability to resolve conflicts, etc. When preparing for an interview, let's not forget to recall examples from our lives when we used these skills.
- Courses/training/certificates - skills confirmed by documents or acquired beyond previous professional experience.
- Interests - selected hobbies of the candidate. Here you can give specific areas of interest or short descriptions of selected activities, for example, instead of briefly writing "books", you can develop an area of interest as "American fantasy literature from the twentieth century".
Attention! Even in such an inconspicuous area as "Interests", it is not worth stretching the truth or lying - as in other sections of the CV.
- Photo - welcome and usually added. It is worth being professional - it was made of high quality, on a smooth background and in an appropriate outfit.
- External links - they can lead to the candidate's portfolio, blog or website.
Now your CV is ready - you deserve a cup of your favourite tea, and then ... go to work - APPLY!
How to best prepare for a job interview
Going to a job interview can be stressful and frightful, but don’t worry, Lilac will help you!
Here there are some tips on how you can approach this experience, giving the best of yourself
1. First of all... Be on Time (and also a bit early)
Consider that there might be unforeseen events that make you late, especially if you use public transportation and if you don't know the place of the interview. Be sure that when you arrive you will have some time to sit down and rest a bit before the big event.
Consider that there might be unforeseen events that make you late, especially if you use public transportation and if you don't know the place of the interview. Be sure that when you arrive you will have some time to sit down and rest a bit before the big event.
2. Be informed about the company
Research information about the company's staff, goals and history. You should be able to answer questions like: ‘’What do you know about us?’’ or ‘’Why do you want to work for us?’’
3. Prepare and practice
Do practice in front of the mirror trying to look as relaxed and confident as possible.
Remember that a firm handshake, direct and open eye contact and a big smile are effective ways of showing confidence without appearing vain or arrogant.
Research information about the company's staff, goals and history. You should be able to answer questions like: ‘’What do you know about us?’’ or ‘’Why do you want to work for us?’’
3. Prepare and practice
Do practice in front of the mirror trying to look as relaxed and confident as possible.
Remember that a firm handshake, direct and open eye contact and a big smile are effective ways of showing confidence without appearing vain or arrogant.
4. Don’t panic
If you are not sure how to answer a question, don’t be afraid to stop and think about it. Too quick a response is not part of the requirements.
5. Put yourself forward
Be aware of your skills and try to enhance all your knowledge and experience during the interview.
6. Be original
Try to find those characteristics that make you unique and essential to the needs of the company.
If you are not sure how to answer a question, don’t be afraid to stop and think about it. Too quick a response is not part of the requirements.
5. Put yourself forward
Be aware of your skills and try to enhance all your knowledge and experience during the interview.
6. Be original
Try to find those characteristics that make you unique and essential to the needs of the company.
| To practice, here you can find some of the most common job questions: 1. What are your weaknesses and strengths? 2. Why do you want to work here? 3. What are your professional goals? 4. What can you do for Us that other candidates can not? 5. Why should we hire you? These are not all the questions you will have to answer and maybe there will be some that will put you in trouble, but don't panic! Take a moment to think about them and, if you really don't know how to answer, try to divert the discussion to something you know. Be confident and everything will be alright. Remember that doing an interview is a great challenge but you can do it, you just need to believe in yourself. |
What is decent work and why do I deserve it?
Lilac helps clears out the mystery of "decent work"
| The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines decent work as “productive work for women and men in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity”. In general, work is considered as decent when: - it pays a fair income, - it guarantees a secure form of employment and safe working conditions, - it ensures equal opportunities and treatment for all, - it includes social protection for the workers and their families, - it offers prospects for personal development and encourages social integration, - workers are free to express their concerns and to organize. |
But we, at Lilac, believe that a decent job is much more than that.
It’s a place where employees like to go every day and where they feel motivated to make their own contribution to see the company grow more and more.
For this reason, the work environment should be stimulating and creative, it should promote listening and dialogue between colleagues and enhance cooperation over competition.
It’s a place where employees like to go every day and where they feel motivated to make their own contribution to see the company grow more and more.
For this reason, the work environment should be stimulating and creative, it should promote listening and dialogue between colleagues and enhance cooperation over competition.
How to do it?
An example is provided by the technological enterprise Pane & Design which set up a relaxation room with games and open-plan workplaces in order to stimulate employers creativity. The company created an open space environment that encourages interaction between colleagues, brainstorming and team building even between people working on different projects.
An example is provided by the technological enterprise Pane & Design which set up a relaxation room with games and open-plan workplaces in order to stimulate employers creativity. The company created an open space environment that encourages interaction between colleagues, brainstorming and team building even between people working on different projects.
A good way to evaluate a good job environment is provided by the World Bank Group that has identified 4 main indicators to classify the top employers' brands:
1. Employees and candidates tell the company is a great place to work,
2. The company is externally recognized as a great place to work,
3. People want to work for that organization,
4. Customer loyalty and satisfaction are very high.
1. Employees and candidates tell the company is a great place to work,
2. The company is externally recognized as a great place to work,
3. People want to work for that organization,
4. Customer loyalty and satisfaction are very high.
An example of this is provided by Cisco System, a company specialized in the supply of network equipment. During the Pandemic, Cisco announced extended pay and benefits for workers. It also continued to pay hourly employees even when office shutdowns kept them from coming to work. Placing a focus on employee well-being, Cisco ramped up communications, expanded benefits and access to mental health services, and provided multiple “Days for Me” for employees to step back and recharge.
Finding a safe and happy working environment is possible and a right of all workers.
Remember that work is not just a way of earning money, but a part of our lives that should make us feel good and happy. So: do not settle because you deserve the best!
Finding a safe and happy working environment is possible and a right of all workers.
Remember that work is not just a way of earning money, but a part of our lives that should make us feel good and happy. So: do not settle because you deserve the best!
