Is one of your New Year's resolutions to swap out your old, boring job for one in a more creative field? Well, you are anything but alone, as a whole lot of people are probably vying for the same innovative positions that you are drooling over. If you are serious about securing a much coveted post, then you can expect to really bring your A-game and show potential employers exactly how you put other candidates to shame.
One of the most important things that can make or break your chance at landing a job is your resume. Let's say that you have some pretty impressive credentials – good for you. Now, if other applicants have almost comparable qualifications, why would businesses pick you over them?
Well, according to Business News Daily, you can make your modern resume stand out from a stack of competitors by presenting it in a new way. HR representatives are used to having a barrage of Microsoft Word attachments and PDFs coming at them on a daily basis. For this reason, sending them your CV in this same format could only be white noise.
Break out of the CV box
Don't let employers tune you out. Instead of forwarding them a bland document, you should appeal to their creative spirit by taking an out-of-the-box approach. Think about making a video resume, which will showcase your personality while still allowing you to highlight all the skills that make you special.
Additionally, you could make yourself memorable by putting together a slide presentation of why you would be awesome for whichever job that sparks your interest. Even though these are hardly the most traditional ways to present companies with your credentials, you have to keep in mind that neither are the positions you are pursuing. Any creative employment agency that knows what they're doing will probably point out that revolutionary employment opportunities may require you to resort to inventive measures so that you can actually show HR that you have enough guts and gusto to handle the job.
After you attract the attention of companies, which you clearly will with the help of a creative job agency, you have to continue proving yourself. The art of interviewing has also changed in recent years, as trailblazing firms want to know more than your run-of-the-mill, generic questions. No longer will you sit down in front of business representatives, have them ask you about your greatest strengths or biggest life obstacles and then shake your hand goodbye.
Get ready for interview improv
Companies that are ahead of the curve want to pick your brain. One of the newest trends in interviews is going through a sort of role-playing exercise. Prospective employers want to to see how you would react in certain situations, and they may provide you with hypothetical scenarios that you then have to talk through and resolve with on the fly.
Bonnie Zabe, a recruiting expert, told Mashable that she normally throws out things like, "so you're a Yankees fan. If you were their owner, how would you make the team better?"
"I ask the applicant about their hobbies, and then we do role-play," she explained. "I want to see how they think quickly and compose coherent presentations. Are they recommending specific player changes? Can they quote stats to back up a position? Can they present a cogent argument in five minutes without dead air? You'd be surprised."
With questions of this nature, employers can see what kind of creative solutions job candidates can come up with at a moment's notice, revealing how they react under pressure. Even if you can't prepare for these interview scenarios in advance, you can be sure to relax beforehand so that you won't completely space out of sheer panic.
