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Most job seekers understand hiring managers are looking for the perfect candidate for their vacant position. However, this point can be disheartening, especially if you find your dream job is available and don’t necessarily have everything requested in the job announcement.

However, it’s important to remember that the vast majority of applicants won’t tick every box. That means, by taking the right steps, you can make yourself a strong candidate for a position, as long as you generally meet the qualifications.

But, if you don’t quite measure up yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t strive to be the perfect candidate later. You’ll just need to focus on the areas that need improvement, allowing you to craft yourself into their ideal employee.

If you are ready to become the perfect candidate, here’s what you need to do.

Learn About the Company

There are a lot of traits that make a perfect candidate, and not all of them are listed in the vacancy announcement. Cultural fit is becoming as much of a priority as hard skills, so figuring out if you’re a great match for the workplace can go a long way.

Before you submit your resume, head over to the company’s website and view a few key areas, including the “About Us” page and any sections that discuss the organization’s mission or values. You can also explore their social media pages for more information about the personality of the business.

By doing some research, you can see if you are a cultural fit for the organization. If so, you’ve got an important area covered. If not, this might not actually be the best workplace for you, unless you are open to changing to fit the environment.

Assess Your Skills

Having the right skills is often crucial for success. When you review a job posting, consider making a list of all of the required skills and check off the ones you currently possess.

Then, go back over the list again and see which skills could either use improvement, additional experience, or need to be learned from the ground up. This allows you to create a plan for future professional development.

If you predominately meet the requirements, you might choose to apply for the job anyway. This can be a great idea, particularly if the company is open to training in areas where you may be lacking. However, it also means you may face stiff competition, so it’s wise to have a plan in place to address your shortcomings.

For example, you can sign up for a class to learn a valuable skill or volunteer to gain additional experience. You might want to request projects at your current company that can help you fill in any gaps, allowing you to turn your job into a learning opportunity.

In some cases, simply taking these steps to improve on your own may impress a hiring manager, leading them to offer you the job, even though you’re not the “perfect candidate.” Passion and dedication to professional development can go a long way, so that’s always a possibility.

But, if this opportunity doesn’t pan out, you now have a path you can follow that will turn you into the perfect candidate down the road. This in and of itself can be a win, as you now know precisely what you need to do to land the job of your dreams.

If you are looking for more tips on how you can become the perfect candidate or are looking for a new position, the experienced professionals at TempStaff can help. Contact us to discuss your career goals or ideal role with one of our team members today, or browse our open jobs for yourself!

 

 


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