Why Hire Me & Work Highlights — Embrace Your Tall Poppy!

Our employers want to know more — so now, you can give ’em more!  We’ve recently expanded Workible profiles so you have extra opportunities to sell yourself.

When employers are recruiting, one of the main questions they’re asking themselves when considering your application is…

“Why should we hire you instead of one of the many other well-qualified applicants?”

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to optimise your Workible profile so that you answer that question for them.

Here’s a quick rundown of the new sections and some tips for how to fill them out…

Why Hire Me — Previously called “Work Highlights,” this section gives you an opportunity to highlight how your current work career has made you ready for the jobs that you are applying for.  Like a “highlight reel”, treat this field as a cover letter for the jobs you are applying for and be confident about why an employer should hire you (let that Tall Poppy stand tall!).

Avoid copying the bullet points listed in the job description, rattling off a laundry list of strengths without context or simply regurgitating the same things you’ve said elsewhere in your profile (and definitely don’t be modest or self-deprecating!)  Really think about what makes you unique and express it in your own voice confidently.

Your answer should summarise the top three or four best reasons to hire you so it’s time to bring out those persuasive skills!  If you don’t have a strong work history, you could highlight your education, qualifications or other personal attributes.

Accomplishments and success stories are always good bets, especially if you can describe how a key accomplishment demonstrates a desired competency (leadership, ability to meet/ exceed sales targets, excellent customer service, etc).

One approach is to mention any unique combination of skills and experience that you have. For example, many candidates may have strong customer service skills, but what if you combine those with team leadership experience that others don’t have?  Sounds like a great recipe for a shift supervisor! Explain why in your answer.

Here are some ways to help brainstorm you own answer to “Why Hire Me?”:

• What are the most important qualifications for this position from the company’s perspective?
• In which of these areas do I really shine?
• What are my most impressive accomplishments?
• What makes me different from the typical candidate?

Work History + Highlights — With the addition of a highlight field for each Work History entry, now you can be specific about what the highlights were for each job/ experience you’ve had.  Avoid listing your duties like cash handling, customer service, or stocktake here — instead, put these in your Skills section if they’re relevant skills/abilities.

Employers look for achievers, candidates who go above and beyond their job duties so rather than listing your duties, I’d encourage you to include an example of how you contributed to your employer, or describe an achievement that reflects the kind of worker you are, eg. Consistently reached and exceeded sales targets; Attracted and established a loyal client base that provided a stable revenue stream; Promoted to Team Leader position within 3 months; etc. Use this field to describe your greatest achievement, biggest accomplishment or what you gained from this experience.

Here are some ways to help brainstorm some highlights:

• Are you known throughout your company/department for something?
• Did you receive praise or recognition from your supervisor or colleagues for something (e.g., completing projects ahead of deadline, calming down irate customers, saving money)?
• Name three accomplishments that make you proud.
• Did you receive a promotion, award or commendations from superiors, customers or coworkers?
• Were you selected for special projects, committees or groups?
• Did you complete a particularly challenging assignment or task?
• Were you behind a new initiative, strategy or service?
• Participate in a solution that improved customer service, enhanced efficiency, saved money/time or increased revenues?
• If you quit your job, what would everybody say about you or your work at your good-bye party?

If you have any questions about these new fields or you’d just like us to caste our eye over your profile and offer up some advice, our Workible Matchmakers are always happy to help so feel free to get in touch!