7 things you should do to get hired

If you are looking for a new job, here are 7 things you can do to show a recruiter they should hire you.

1. Rehearse before going into an interview
Many candidates aren't sure exactly what they want to do. But when you're meeting with a recruiter, you want to confidently tell your story: how you got to where you are today, why you are joining their firm, why you’re applying for the role, and how this fits into your career plan. Having a story prepared in advance will send a powerful message that you’ve taken the time to think through your strengths, that you’ve done your due diligence and understand the company as well as the role that you’re applying for, and that you can articulate how it all fits together.

2. Demonstrate your desire to learn
In addition to saying you love to learn new things and you're a fast learner, show that you make some extra effort in your spare time. Try to convince the recruiters that you have the passion for the area that you had no experience of.

3. Don't exaggerate your skill-set
Be confident about what you know best, but don't overdo it just to impress. Recruiters can quickly see through inflated skills and exaggerated statements about experience. The last thing you want is to land a position based on skills you said you had, but actually don’t. It’s a tenuous (and very stressful!) position to put yourself in. You’ll be found out one way or another.

4. Don't over-negotiate your package
I've seen some candidates with one or two years of work experience try to negotiate positions and packages that are well beyond the company's pay scale for the role, and, frankly, beyond what they deserve. Dangling counter offers with allegedly better packages as a negotiation ploy is very risky, and could backfire.

5. Keep personal details out of the negotiation
I've had candidates explaining why they needed higher starting pay so they could move out of their grandparents' apartment. Or candidates that explained why they preferred to work in Hong Kong rather than Shanghai so they could be closer to their partner. We understand these situations, and may even personally empathize with you, but these are not the basis for negotiating a job offer or compensation.

6. Polish your social media profile
I know many recruitment professionals have made this point. Please use a professional photo that shows your entire face! Don’t use selfies you took of yourself sitting in a car, low-resolution images, or shots that were obviously cropped from a group photo.

7. Be punctual
And, of course, show up on time for your interviews! That is the basic respect that you are showing to your target company.