It is fair to say the hiring and employment industry is undergoing a big shift in recent years with the Covid situation resulting in hiring slowdowns, and optional work-from-home arrangements slowly becoming a norm in job posts. 3-4 years ago we would not be imagining seeing nearly half of the employment opportunities will be remote-only in Los Angeles.
While we’ll leave the debate about which is better for you, we’ll touch on a growing issue that is again fueled by the economic strain due to Covid: Hiring slowdown and what can candidates do to increase their chances of getting a job offer from that dream startup / tech giant that they aspire to work at.
Yes, the tech and startup scene is still booming, and investments do still come in. Still, several big tech companies like Meta, Apple and Google recently announced hiring slowdowns in the recent months, signaling a caution in the wider top tech scene.
So, as a candidate, it is safe to say that many companies will be more selective in their processes and you may need to adjust your approach to job interviews to secure your spot in a tight race. Here are the top 3 things you can do to increase your chances of getting an offer:
1. Highly tailor your cv/resume to the role to get around resume filtering during the hiring slowdown
Hundreds of people will apply for a job, and many companies will use an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to sort through all those incoming applications. Even if you have the right skills and experience for the job, you might be at the mercy of software that tries to understand if you’re a good fit by just going through a keyword list that it parsed from your cv.
A good approach here would be to look at the job post to find the keywords that you think are important for the role, and incorporate them into your resume before you sent it out. Generic, made-for-all-companies resumes will just not cut it anymore.
Make the ATS work for you, not against you, in its filtering and you might just find your cv marked as a high potential, increasing your chances of getting a spot on the shortlist for interview invites.
2. Hiring slowdown: Quality beats quantity in interview preparations
Internet is filled with generic content like “Top 50 Questions for Managers” or “Top 200 Behavioral Questions You Must Know” which used to work well before when the race was not this competitive, and many candidates who prepare for their interviews smarter gets the edge. See, it is not about the quantity of questions you study anymore, it’s the quality.
The best resource for studying smarter is to utilize the know-how of former/current employees of that company to learn about the processes and questions you might be asked for that specific role. Are you interviewing for a top tech company with a standardized interview process like Amazon? Then investing in a well-reviewed paid interview prep service that provides amazon interview questions, insights and more useful info from such people will almost always be better than studying generic content. This is especially important in hiring slowdown periods.
Looking for job interview insights for other top tech companies like Apple, Google or Meta? Head to glassdoor.com and search for candidate feedback for the specific role you’re interviewing for, or connect with a person who can coach you about the interview processes of that specific company on interviewjoy.com (we’re a US-based career consultancy services marketplace startup formed by ex-Google and ex-Amazon employees).
Knowing specific peculiarities and company-specific tips will be crucial in making that impression with the recruiter and hiring manager to increase your chances to get an offer!
3. Hiring slowdown: Ask the right questions during your interview to make a lasting impression
When confronted with “do you have any question for me?” at the end of an interview session, the inexperienced candidate will reply with “no, I got all the info I need, thank you for your time”. Experienced interviewers, however, know that this is a great opportunity to:
- Recover from the not-so-great previous answers,
- Show the genuine interest in the company,
- Show that they are thinking outside the box.
Here are a few examples of how to answer that question better:
“Did my answers satisfy your expectations? Do you want me to clarify anything?”
“How does a good day feel like here?”
“What is the one thing that you can improve in this company?”
“Do you have any small frustrations with the company, may I learn a few if you don’t mind?”
So there you go. Securing a job offer might seem like a herculean effort these days, but with these simple and important tips, you might just be opening your welcome gift package in no time despite the hiring slowdowns!
Photo attribution: Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
