It’s a common situation for many young people: You’ve recently completed your studies, but have little or no experience in the job market. Don’t despair – you can still get a job that you’ll be happy with! Since your CV is light on experience, recruiters will judge your employment potential based on other factors. But what exactly will they be looking at? We spoke to two professional recruiters to find out.
“Above all else, we are looking to determine the level of interest and motivation of the candidate. We pay particular attention to the way a candidate approached getting an interview, and ultimately a job. The applicant must be able to demonstrate what they’ve done so far in life, what they are prepared to do and what they can bring to a company.
To do this, we look at the relevant skills that the applicant has developed through internships, summer jobs and volunteer positions to see how these can be transferred to the position they’ve applied for. The presentation of the candidate’s CV and cover letter are also very important, as they reveal the candidate’s writing ability, personality, level of passion and their capacity to ‘sell themselves’.”
– Pierre Forand Yannitsarakos, Human Resources Advisor at Chartwell Retirement Residences
“We start from the position that anyone can do well in school. Everyone who completes a program of study essentially ends up with the same roadmap for the near future: some classes successfully completed and a diploma in hand.
However, some students work part-time while attending school, which shows that they are versatile and organized. If a student has also been active in activities outside of school – in student associations and academic contests, for example – we can tell that they are a motivated person who has the potential to go far. They’ve set themselves apart from their peers by demonstrating their capacity for social engagement and success.”
– Lucy Rodrigues, Head of Talent Acquisition and Management at Metro