Did you ever ask yourself why you are barely contacted or contacted for irrelevant vacancies by HR Consultants in LinkedIn or XING?

Well, that’s ofetn because your profile is not meaningful enough. Try to be as specific as possible. Show your academic degrees and all your professional steps with timings in month/year, your title and an information re. people responsibility.

Do also differentiate between internships and regular jobs. And share your language skills, the level of language perfection and if you’re open to relocate for a new job.

You’ll be surprised to see quantity & quality of job offers from HR consultants increase.

Know your target company:  Conduct some proper desk research to know the key facts about the company. This includes information about the management, key achievements and challenges. Also, understand the company’s dress code (how do managers of this company appear in public?).

Know the details of your CV and the job: Be ready to briefly present your CV without reading from it. Identify the key skills that the company is looking for in the specific role.

Summarize concrete examples where you’ve demonstrated relevant skills: Write-up your examples around 3 points with specific facts/numbers: 1. What was your task; 2. What you’ve done and 3. What you’ve achieved.

Watch the time schedule: Don’t be late, plan for possible issues. In case you learn that you’ll be late (i.e. delayed flight) inform the company asap. Conversely, do not arrive much too early for the interview.

Dress properly: You know from your preparation what’s standard within this company. Take that as a basis, slightly over-dressing is fine.

Listen & understand: You really need to understand the questions. Ask, if you’re not sure. Smile, use a clear and loud voice and keep eye contact. Reply concrete and honest. Faking does not help. Remember, that you might have to go through more than one interviews. 

Don’t criticize a previous employer: Simply don’t do it. Even if a particular job was not good, you’ll always be able to identify something positive.

Ask smart questions: You’ve studied the company’s background. Use your knowledge to ask questions that demonstrate your deep involvement and your professional background.