It’s getting more difficult to win over an employer when you are applying for a job these days. For instance, employers will usually spend no more than sixty seconds looking at your CV or resume. This doesn’t give you a lot of time to impress them with your skills or experience. But, that’s not what they’re skimming for.

Instead, they’re searching for red lights which means that you should be crossed off the list. Only a select group will be considered for interviews because the interviewing process costs businesses money. That’s why it’s important to know the small yet significant things which will determine whether or not you are successful applying for a job. 

Real Life Examples 

First, you need to make sure that you are providing real life examples of the skills or experience that you have. This is something that is always going to help you stand out more in an interview environment. For instance, you can’t simply say that you are a teamplayer. You have to provide evidence that this is the case from past experience in previous jobs. This should also be provable through referencing. 

Flexibility 

When you apply for a job, one of the main reasons for applying might have been the hours you can work. This is something that is not always set in stone and the company may require some flexibility when it comes to your working days and hours. If you go to the interview and show that you are pretty rigid with your schedule then this could lose you the job. Alternatively, if you say you are available whenever you are needed then this is always a huge bonus to employers. They need to know they can rely on you but you’ll also have to provide evidence that you can be available. 

This is one of the reasons why a lot of employers will ask if you drive and if you have your own car. They won’t want you to rely on public transport which is often unreliable and can be the subject of excuses for being late or not showing up at all. You may not be able to afford to buy a vehicle outright but there are car finance solutions which can make this easier and more manageable. 

Problem Solving 

Employers need to know that if anything crops up while you are working that you can handle it without losing the will to live. Problem solving is one of the main things employers look for, that and using your own initiative. If you have common sense and can quickly get to the bottom of any issues that arise then you will be a star employee in no time at all. People may come calling upon you to fix things that go wrong. If this is the case, then you will need to know everything that could possibly be wrong. 

USP

Finally, you should think about a USP that will help you standout from other people applying for the same position. A USP can be anything. One example would be a second or third language. This will make you a tremendous asset due to the potential for new client interactions and engagements.