Successful Application I: Strategy.

Just as every journey begins with a single step, the application is the first step towards finding your desired position. It is essential to lay a good foundation for a successful application, particularly if the vacancy you wish to apply for is very popular and many candidates will fight hard to get it. To ensure that you are successful as an applicant from the very beginning targetpeople offers our visitors the guidelines “Basis for Successful Applications” which offers a summary of valuable tips from our successful career advisory programme.
In the first part our career advice addresses applicants who have already climbed the first few rungs on their career ladder and now wish to lay the foundation for the next step. See how you can gain important advantages on the way to your dream position through specialization and further education.

Several job moves within a career are not uncommon

Just as today’s working world has changed significantly compared to former times, so too have basic conventions regarding an individual’s career. Whereas previously it was usual, with a few exceptions, for an employer to work his whole life for one employer, today several moves during one’s work life are common. Therefore a headhunter who has been contracted by a company or by Executive Search Consultants to seek suitable specialists or managers, will not be put off by the CV of a candidate just because he has already worked for more than two or three employers. At the same time chances have increased of gaining specific qualifications within a company and then moving on to a higher position through an internal application.

Applications and professional success require initiative

Whether or not you wish to optimize your career within the same company or via a complete job change, it is absolutely necessary that you yourself take control of the process and actively promote your professional advancement. As experienced Executive Search Consultants we therefore advise you to break out of your comfort zone. It is no coincidence that the saying, “Do not wait for chances but create them yourself” is a basis for all successful career advice. This kind of initiative is therefore the most important foundation to ensure you professional success.

Specialization – but the right kind

The best advice that one can give a prospective applicant is: “to specialize and keep your skills up to date throughout your entire career.” Whoever follows this advice remains interesting in the long term not just for their own but also for any other prospective employer. Having said that, however, it is crucial when specializing and seeking further education to choose an area that will still be relevant in the future. For example it would make no sense to specialize in a certain software that soon will not be used anymore. Therefore it is absolutely crucial to always maintain an overview of the current market and its development. Both headhunters from Executive Search Consultants and companies themselves attach great importance to your qualifications most closely matching the requirements of the position to be filled.

Further education and gaining additional qualifications

Another important tip: always take advantage of any possibility for further education that presents itself, also with regards to possible future applications. Many companies offer their employees the possibility to attend courses free of charge and so to gain certain qualifications. Ensure that you always further your education by yourself too – especially if you wish to prepare yourself for a further career step in the future. The quality of the courses you attend is crucial though. If you decide to seek further education always ensure that the provider is recognised and has a good reputation.

What you should look out for when choosing courses

If you are in any doubt you should favour a well renowned institute over a cheaper alternative, even if it incurs additional costs. Also you should rather attend a longer course than a series of shorter ones. Furthermore, at the end of the course you should receive a certificate or some form of recognised diploma which you can include in a future application. Gaining further qualifications makes you a noteworthy candidate for every company or Executive Search Consultant when you later apply for a higher position and gives you the necessary advantage over your competitors. Always remember: every additional specialist qualification you gain raises your market value as a further building block of your career and hence increases your chances for a future application significantly.