Want to ask a prospective employer to take a second look at you – even if you have interviewed with the company before and did not get the job the first time?
Numerous job-seekers are successful after the second or third time they apply to or interview with a potential employer. There is a right way to contact the targeted company and say, in essence, ‘Remember me? How do you like me now?’ without actually using those words.
ClearRock offers the following Six Steps For Getting Employers To Take A Second Look At You:
Emphasize what is different about you now. In your cover letter, on your resume, and during phone and personal interviews, highlight what is different about you now since you applied to or interviewed with the company. Include specific new experience and skills gained and knowledge acquired through taking courses, completing certificates or acquiring degrees – especially if they are essential or relevant to the job you are pursuing.
Focus on how you have filled any gaps that stood in the way of getting the job the first time. Communicate the steps you took to complete the requirements of the job, particularly those areas that were recommended or found lacking in you the first time you interviewed or applied,” said Stevens.
Use LinkedIn to make connections inside the company who can update you about what is going on and potentially lead to a referral. Scour your primary LinkedIn connections and second-degree (friends of your direct contacts) and third-degree (friends of friends of your direct contacts) connections to lead to people within the company who can help you determine what the hiring manager is looking for and information about what really matters in getting the job.
Network in reverse. Begin your networking by seeking out all those people you know who work for the targeted employer or know someone who does. Instead of leading you to the right job, as traditional networking does, reverse networking starts with the job and directs you to the people who can help you get it.
Join or become more active in the same professional or volunteer group as the hiring manager at the targeted company. Trade association meetings and events and nonprofit functions provide ideal opportunities to keep in touch in a low-key way and get to know each other better, which may lead to a second opportunity.
Share news that adds another dimension to your qualifications. Do something that will give you added recognition, such as write an article for a trade publication, or be a speaker at a conference and share that information with the company. Continually reinforce the potential value you will bring as part of the team.
