How To Impress The Recruiter Before The Interview

Having an HR manager job in Delhi’s leading IT company, one of the biggest challenges I face is to fetch the candidates that can not only fit the required profile but can also gel properly in our office culture. This makes the candidate search even more cumbersome and demanding. After working in this profile for more than a decade, now I have found that searching a candidate online and browsing through their social media profiles is probably the best way to get to know them better. I have come across a number of candidates whose resume were not that appealing but their social media profile and blogs impressed me largely.

In today’s world, it has become important for a candidate to focus on his/her online presence and social media profile as they are a crucial tool in casting a strong first impression before going for the interview. However, these are just two ways to impress a recruiter before meeting them for an interview. This blog post is dedicated to all those candidates who want to impress their recruiters before even meeting them for the interview.

Get A Strong Online Presence
Times have changed and recruiters run a background check on the candidate by searching them online. I’m not talking about your social media presence, that is also important undoubtedly, but here I am talking about your online presence on the various search engines. The hiring managers, today, search the candidate on Google and other search engines before moving on to the next step. First of all, you need to make sure that your name appears in the search results. For that, you need to have a strong presence on Google+. Build a website and promote yourself there for a better online presence. Share high-quality content on your blog page under your name to get a strong online presence.

Get More Recommendations
Another way to impress the recruiter before you even meet them in person is to get as many recommendations as possible. If you know any person working in the organization where you are going for the interview, ask them to recommend you to the recruiter. This would help build the recruiter’s trust in you. In fact, the recruiter would even pay more attention to your candidature than others if you are recommended by someone who’s already established in their organization. You can go to LinkedIn to make connections with people from that organization if you do not know anyone personally. Get connected to some of the employees on LinkedIn and ask them for their recommendation to the hiring manager.

Impress With Visual Resume
Visual resumes are sure to cast a great first impression on the recruiter. These visual resumes would not just make your resume stand out of the crowd but also ensure that the recruiter has a second look at your resume for a detailed analysis. You can add this visual resume to your classical resume to emphasize your skills, accomplishments, knowledge etc., in a more elaborative and creative manner. You can have your visual resume created in an infographic form, PowerPoint format, video form, or in the form of slides. Entice the recruiter to have a second look at your profile with the captivating visual resume and boost your chances of getting hired.

Polish Your Social Media Presence
While a number of recruiters limit their online candidate analysis to Google and LinkedIn search, there are many others who use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter etc., to learn more about the applicant. Hiding the profile on social media and making everything private is a wrong move and may wash away the interest of the recruiter in your resume altogether. Instead of making everything private, it is better you polish your social media profiles to make them look more professional. Add your experience, interest, hobbies, and ambitions on your social media profile so that the recruiter knows whether you would be the right fit for their office culture or not. Keep sharing and posting useful, informational content on your profiles to impress the recruiters before meeting them personally.

Find Your USP And Sell It As Much As You Can
Everyone has their own Unique Selling Proposition that makes them stand apart from the rest of the crowd. Find your USP that describes your unique qualities and skills and why you would be a perfect fit for the organization. Sell your profile by emphasizing on your USP on different platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter bio, and you own website as well. Your USP would differentiate you from other candidates competing for that position.

While preparing yourself for the interview, make sure that you have also prepared your social media profiles, online presence, and other things for a good first impression on the recruiter when he/she goes through your profile. By following these five steps, you would be able to make a positive impression on your recruiter before you even meet them in person.