{"id":3920,"date":"2014-08-29T03:00:05","date_gmt":"2014-08-29T07:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=3920"},"modified":"2017-09-24T18:28:42","modified_gmt":"2017-09-24T14:28:42","slug":"you-vs-300-applicants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/3920\/","title":{"rendered":"You vs 300+ Applicants, or How to Stand Out From the Crowd"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all seen those photos with lines and lines of people waiting for an interview, and we\u2019re used to LinkedIn telling us how this vacancy is \u201con fire!\u201d because more than 300 people applied for it. At Kaspersky Lab we often have this kind of demand.
\nIs it even worth applying for popular jobs?<\/b> The answer is \u201cYes, absolutely\u201d \u2013 as long as you keep in mind a few important points that will help you stand out from the crowd.
\n\"career-queue\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Apply to jobs that fit your skills and requirements<\/h2>\n

I know it sounds obvious but any recruiter will tell you that more than 50% of CVs they receive don\u2019t even remotely match the job requirements. I\u2019ve read lots of recommendations for job seekers saying that you should apply to any job and maybe they will notice you for something else. Unfortunately this isn\u2019t the case anymore. Some recruiters I know sometimes play \u201cInsert applicant name here\u201d bingo because there are people who would apply to everything advertised. Do not become one of these applicants!<\/p>\n

Check to see if you match the job ad: have the basics, \u201cmust have or is required\u201d skills and recent work experience. If you do not meet most of the requirements, give others a chance to be seen. But if you do match it, go for it!<\/p>\n

2. Learn the Balance<\/h2>\n

I talk about balance often, the balance between being \u201caggressive\u201d and being a stalker\/joke in the office. That guy who applies for everything, contacts everyone in the office, who eventually becomes a joke \u2013 he\u2019s known for all the wrong reasons and doesn\u2019t know when to let go. But being aggressive is another story \u2013 you know exactly what you want, why you want it and know how to \u201csell\u201d it to the company. This passion for work is highly valued by recruiters, and even if you don\u2019t get the job offer this time, you\u2019ll go right onto the recruiters\u2019 \u201cwaiting list\u201d to be contacted immediately when they have a suitable vacancy for you.<\/p>\n

3. Get social<\/h2>\n
\n

It\u2019s not that difficult to stand out from the crowd, you just need to:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Be objective about yourself<\/li>\n
  • Know exactly WHAT you want to be<\/li>\n
  • Develop your professional network<\/li>\n
  • Believe in yourself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    Do you know someone inside Kaspersky Lab or any other company you are targeting? You do? Then start using it to your advantage. You don\u2019t yet? Start networking NOW! Having an ally is one of the fastest and easiest ways for you to get noticed by a recruiter, so use it to your advantage. Do remember that balance though, and don\u2019t overdo it! I still maintain contact with applicants and candidates I worked with over 10 years ago. They have helped me find candidates and I\u2019ve helped them find jobs \u2013 either in the same company as me or at organizations where other friends of mine are working.<\/p>\n

    4. Be positive<\/h2>\n

    This is important for people who are actively seeking a new job. The daily grind of the job search is really tough on anyone\u2019s confidence, especially when there are these 300+ other people who want that job as much as you do (but who might not have all the required experience or friends among recruiters). As hard as it can be some days you really need to remind yourself of your worth as a professional. The best way to do that is to practice interviewing in front of a mirror or with a friend, answering all the standard questions you might be asked by a recruiter (I\u2019m sure you know them all too well yourself). This exercise will help you in your next interview and remind you of all the great things you can offer your next company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Is it even worth applying for popular jobs? The answer is \u201cYes, absolutely\u201d \u2013 as long as you keep in mind a few important points that will help you stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":415,"featured_media":3921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1485],"tags":[1063],"class_list":{"0":"post-3920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-special-projects","8":"tag-kl-careers"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"en-ae","url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/3920\/"},{"hreflang":"en-in","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/4018\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/4399\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/4657\/"},{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/5867\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/5867\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/you-vs-300-applicants\/5867\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/tag\/kl-careers\/","name":"KL Careers"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/415"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6725,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3920\/revisions\/6725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}