How to be More Attractive to Employers

Think of it like online dating!

Hey everyone and welcome back to another blog here at Adda Infusion. We hope that you’ve been enjoying these and getting some useful tips out of them. As we forge ahead with 2021, and the potential for yet more uncertainty in the job market – we wanted to take a look at how to be more attractive to employers.

At Adda Infusion, we like to take a unique approach to HR.

While we do understand the need for compliance, professionalism, and all the officious stuff: we know that it is still possible to make it fun and innovative. To that end, we wanted to explore how you can look to the world of online dating, in order to be more attractive to employers.

Now, before we go any further; we should caveat this with the statement that we are not suggesting making yourself attractive in a physical or romantic sense. We don’t want to give anybody the wrong idea here! This is purely about how we curate our online profiles so that we can best appeal to the kinds of jobs and companies that we want.

Many of you have, I’m sure, come across the world of online dating. Even if it’s just been by proxy with a friend or family member. When you set up your profile, naturally you want to make yourself as attractive to prospective partners as possible, while of course trying to be truthful/specific about what you want in a partner.

In other words: you know what you want and how to exhibit yourself to get it.

I’m sure you’ll spend lots of time on your dating profile(s), making sure that only the most flattering photos are on there. You’ll probably return to brush up on the wording on there and your list of wants/don’t wants. You might check in with it regularly, in order to see who’s been looking at you and respond to messages.

If you want to be more attractive to employers, especially ones with lots to offer; you need to have the same approach!

So where to start?

First, think about the medium you’re working with. What do I mean? Well, again, think about the dating game. You’ve got:

Dating apps like Tinder – are quick & easy to use
Dating sites that require more information & a paid subscription
Sites that cater to specific types of professions
Professional matchmakers who spend time, one-on-one with clients

The same is true of the online recruitment world:

Quick & easy apps/sites that allow you to batch apply for jobs – often less highly-skilled positions, that don’t require the catered approach
Sites that give you more of a profile & offer detailed searches
Sites with specific skills or industries in mind, that connect employers with vetted employees
Head Hunters & HR firms that target specific individuals for positions

So when you view your recruitment profiles in this light, it should open up another way to approach them for you. Instead of adopting a “one-size-fits-all” approach, take the time to understand each one and what they offer. Make sure that they’re aligned with what you want out of them!

You wouldn’t look on Tinder with a view to meeting the love of your life (probably – though it does happen). Likewise; you probably wouldn’t look on a recruitment site that caters mainly to warehouse work, in order to find your dream job as a cabaret singer!

You need to do your research and take a much more considered approach.

I know that requires more of a time commitment. But you can’t just copy, paste and move on to the next one. Trust me though: it will pay off in the long run.

Put yourself in the shoes of an employer. Would you can in an applicant for an interview who sent you a non-specific, ‘cookie-cutter’ application? Of course not! You want people on staff who actually want to be there.

If you want to be more attractive to employers, or a romantic partner: you want to form meaningful connections. You won’t do that with a generic message, sent to 100 people!

Our advice, for those of you with time restraints or family commitments, is to start by assigning at least one hour per week to your job hunt. Everyone has an hour, even if it means losing an hour of leisure time in the evenings: it’ll be worth it!

Be strict with yourself in that hour. Outline what you want to achieve at the end of it, give yourself a realistic task list, and then execute it.

You really need to read job descriptions carefully too!!

Hey look, we get it: it can feel laborious wading through page after page. You want the Cliff Notes version, so you can move on right?

**“Just get to the salary and benefits package already!”**

Sometimes you just need a paying job pronto, and the other considerations are secondary. Fair enough. That has its place and if that’s you, then there are definitely sites/apps with ‘Quick Apply’ options that will cater to your needs.

If, however, you want to find a job and place of work that is much more aligned with the type of person you are, and that will offer you the kind of career prospects (and ultimately: fulfillment) that you want –

You have to be prepared to do more digging!

It’s not just to appear more attractive to employers this one either. It’s as much for your long-term benefit as it is there. Again, just like with dating; if you “bend the truth” and project an image of yourself that is…let’s say ‘favorably confected’…you won’t be able to keep it up forever. In fact, you’ll probably be downright miserable and exhausted having to keep it up all the time.

Sometimes it just doesn’t fit!

This is true in our dating lives, right? Neither of you is a bad person. You’re not acting in bad faith, you really want it to work…but you’re just not right for each other.

Places of work are built, essentially, on inter-personal relationships – so why would they be any different? You might simply be not in alignment with them or their company ethos. That’s fine, but if you’ve fooled them into thinking that you are; how long before your rumbled? Either by them or YOU!

How can you get a feel for what a company will be like to work for?

Check out their online presence. Just as with your profile, they should be projecting a clear image of themselves and what they stand for. Go check out their site, any blogs they might have posted, their mission statement, etc… Have a look at their history, what they’ve produced, and who they’ve worked with.

Find out as much as you can and if they’re vague or unclear with their profile: treat them as you would a prospective date – move on.

The interview/‘date’

Once you’re in the room with an employer, this is kind of like moving things up to chatting on the phone or meeting in person with someone, for a date. So think of it that way.

Would you want someone to turn up to a date with you, only to not ask you any questions about yourself and just talk about their own qualities?

Of course not! So make sure that you go in with the mindset that you want both parties to walk away, at the end of the interview, with as clear a picture of each other as possible.

Trust me: you don’t want to work for the kind of people who would treat you as just another employee or ‘brick in the wall’. The same is true of them! They shouldn’t employ someone who’s not engagement with their company ethos, just wants to collect a paycheck and beyond that; has nothing invested in working for them.

Don’t fall into the trap of depersonalizing the interviewing process.

Again, as part of your hour per week (or more) spend time putting together a list of questions that you want to be answered about the companies you’re applying to. You’ll find that you are much more likely to engage meaningfully with the people in your interview, and you’ll definitely stand out to them as someone they should seriously consider hiring!

If you would like more help and advice on how best to appeal to the right employer or employee; please get in touch with us today.