Job hunting is a painful process, especially if you are young and had high hopes of getting employment immediately after graduating.

Ruby Lee relates her tale of job hunting and she gives some tips to perfect the art of applying for work. 

Lee didn’t meet the desired ‘criteria’ for her dream job but after an interview and 10 long days of waiting she was awarded the position.

The mother-of-two dubbed the ‘job whisperer’ is now hoping to encourage others to branch out of their respective industry shells – and apply for something they might ordinarily think they’re unqualified for.

Speaking to Whimn, Lee, from Melbourne, outlined the top three ways she’d go about approaching a new prospect.

Look beyond just one website 

People often use traditional job-hunting websites to scour the internet for job openings.

But for Lee, it was Twitter that revealed her perfect position, and she’d motivate others to look on social media networks for their next career move too.

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‘Before I spotted it on Twitter, I had spent weeks typing “Tech Startup Recruiter” into the search field of a single job site,’ she told the publication. 

‘I was often left wondering if there were job opportunities out there that I was missing.’

Needless to say there were, with options like LinkedIn, CareerOne, Gumtree, Indeed and Spot Jobs giving clients an additional space to look for candidates.

Focus on your ‘all-rounder’ skills

While people might go to university to get a degree in nutrition, computer software or engineering, there are also a host of non-specialist skills employers will find pleasing across the board.

Things like being a good leader, listener or fast worker are all traits that be applied to each and every job you apply for – you only need to show the executives in an interview that you have them.

For Lee, who spent eight years working in the area of recruitment, she was almost too shy to apply for something she desperately wanted.

‘I was told people in the tech world have their own culture, think differently to “enterprise people”, and that I’d struggle to fit in given my very corporate background,’ she explained.

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But this wasn’t the case, having landed the job and marvelling the bigwigs with her ability to learn quickly.

Sell yourself the right way

No matter what kind of job you’re applying for it’s important to put your best foot forward immediately, and demonstrate why you’re the ideal candidate.

Despite there being more experienced people going for the job, Lee was awarded it based purely on her transferable skills and willingness to absorb the role quickly.

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Prepare for the interview days in advance and ensure you’ve got any of the company ‘lingo’ down before presenting yourself. 

Daily Mail