Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Our Story
    • Partner with us
    • Reach Us
    • Career
    Subscribe Newsletter
    HR KathaHR Katha
    • Exclusive
      • Exclusive Features
      • Research
      • Point Of View
      • Case In Point
      • Dialogue
      • Movement
      • Profile
      • Beyond Work
      • Rising Star
      • By Invitation
    • News
      • Global HR News
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Diversity
      • Events
      • Gen Y
      • Hiring & Firing
      • HR & Labour Laws
      • Learning & Development
      • Merger & Acquisition
      • Performance Management & Productivity
      • Talent Management
      • Tools & Technology
      • Work-Life Balance
    • Special
      • Cover Story
      • Editorial
      • HR Forecast 2024
      • HR Forecast 2023
      • HR Forecast 2022
      • HR Forecast 2021
      • HR Forecast 2020
      • HR Forecast 2019
      • New Age Learning
      • Coaching and Training
      • Learn-Engage-Transform
    • Magazine
    • Reports
      • Whitepaper
        • HR Forecast 2024 e-mag
        • Future-proofing Manufacturing Through Digital Transformation
        • Employee Healthcare & Wellness Benefits: A Guide for Indian MSMEs
        • Build a Future Ready Organisation For The Road Ahead
        • Employee Experience Strategy
        • HRKatha 2019 Forecast
        • Decoding and Driving Employee Engagement
        • One Platform, Infinite Possibilities
      • Survey Reports
        • Happiness at Work
        • Upskilling for Jobs of the Future
        • The Labour Code 2020
    • Conferences
      • Rising Star Leadership Awards
      • HRKatha Futurecast
      • Automation.NXT
      • The Great HR Debate
    • HR Jobs
    WhatsApp LinkedIn X (Twitter) Facebook Instagram
    HR KathaHR Katha
    Home»Special»Campus Connect»Pitch for jobs, not just apply
    Campus Connect

    Pitch for jobs, not just apply

    mmBy Arindam Goswami | HRKathaJuly 24, 20206 Mins Read18993 Views
    Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
    Share
    LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    ‘What is the right way to apply for a job? The answer is, ‘Many’. Right now, there are hundreds of individuals actively applying. All of them will look up relevant job posters and apply. A few may follow up regularly, and fewer still will make the effort to reach out to the recruiter, while a handful will take a proactive approach, which will make them stand out. A proactive approach is what candidates need right now to maximise their chances of landing a job.

    What is a proactive approach?

    A proactive job search implies making an extra effort, while applying for a job. It is almost similar to a sales pitch that professionals make. Before pitching to a client, a sales or marketing professional collects data, drafts a presentation — essentially identifying what the client is looking for— and then tunes the pitch to reflect the needs of the client. The whole exercise involves research and curated hard work to bag every single advertiser. This is exactly the kind of effort that candidates today need to put in, to stand out in a large crowd of applicants.

    Aditya Kohli

    “If a person comes in through a referral, I will listen to that person and if that individual impresses me enough, I may even be willing to find a role for them.”

    The typical way to apply is to send out resumes for multiple jobs posts and then wait for an answer. With the market as it is right now, this same technique may not bear any fruit for most. By the time a candidate applies for a post on a company job board, or responds to a post on social media, the opportunity would have already passed. This is quite a common occurrence.

    The truth is, there is never a good time to apply for a job. Earlier, the economic slowdown had everybody worried. Now, it is the pandemic causing job losses and drying up opportunities. In the near future, it may be something else, may be a surge in demand for new skills.

    Amit Sharma

    “As a recruiter, if a candidate makes an effort to step into my shoes, understands the pain areas and provides a viable solution or perspective, then I will be willing to set up an interview at least.”  

    However, going the extra mile will help capture a recruiter’s attention from among a sea of applicants. It is not just about sending out a video CV or doing anything different for the sake of it. Understanding what the company needs from a candidate, and how the applicant can bring a difference to the role is what being proactive entails. It is about coming up with a solution or an idea and using that as a part of the job application.

    Such efforts do not go unnoticed by organisations. Amit Sharma, head – central HR, Zee Entertainment, looks at ‘applying for a job’ with a design thinking approach. “As a recruiter, if a candidate makes an effort to step into my shoes, understands the pain areas and provides a viable solution or perspective, then I will be willing to set up an interview at least,” says Sharma.

    For instance, if an individual is applying for a communications position, she or he can make the effort to understand the kind of stories that an organisation is coming out with, relate to them and plan a strategy to reflect the values of the company better.

    Even if the company is not hiring, such efforts never go to waste. “Even if there is no position available at the moment, I would still want to have a dialogue with such people. They will come to my mind first, whenever there is a vacancy,” adds Sharma.

    Reach before you pitch

    Researching, planning an approach and then pitching to the recruiter is not enough. Rather, it is not the first step. There is a simple reason why.

    Organisations follow a process while hiring. Even if, say a musical CV gets noticed, most of the creative efforts are likely to get lost in the crowd. Applications are first sorted on the application tracking system (ATS) or artificial intelligence (AI), before the recruiting team sorts through the shortlisted names. It is only towards the end that a manager or person in charge conducts an interview. If a candidate has designed a presentation after painstaking research, she/he may not even get shortlisted or make the first cut. This is because, the company is merely sifting through CVs and not looking for anything different.

    How to pitch

    This is where referrals come in. To ensure maximum juice out of their efforts, candidates will first have to put one foot inside the door. This essentially means connecting with somebody already working in the company —a friend, an ex-colleague or an acquaintance — and asking for a referral or finding a way to connect with somebody in the organisation.

    “If a person comes in through a referral, I will listen to that person and if that individual impresses me enough, I may even be willing to find a role for them,” admits Aditya Kohli, CHRO, Clix Capital.

    This way, the candidate finds the right avenue and the right person to pitch her/his candidature. A referral usually works best, even more than directly getting in touch with the recruiter or the head of HR in an organisation. Recruiters receive hundreds of e-mails directly in their mailbox every day, asking for open positions. This method has reached its peak and it is time to find a different approach now.

    Kohli adds that this is also a good time to create a passive network, which may come in use later on. For instance, in the next two or three months, candidates can consider reaching out to and connecting with professionals already working with organisations they are keen to join, even though there may be zero vacancies available at the moment. This is a good time to build relationships. It may take a certain degree of effort and energy, but will come in handy later on.

    AI applications apply candidature CV HR Job Search not just apply noticed pitch for jobs proactive Resume sift
    Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
    mm
    Arindam Goswami | HRKatha

    Fresh into the HR beat, Arindam began his writing career by volunteering as a student writer during his college days. A fan of almost all kinds of sweets, he enjoys light music. He hails from Assam and holds chai as the best beverage.

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    four × 1 =

    Related Posts

    Dubai’s public sector has jobs for expats; salary of up to Dh40,000

    June 13, 2025

    Wells Fargo continues layoffs in Iowa

    June 13, 2025

    Vedanta Aluminium deploys all-women locomotive engine team

    June 13, 2025

    Pooja Sondhi is the new CHRO, Adomantra Digital India

    June 12, 2025

    QUICK HR INSIGHTS

    EDITOR'S PICKS

    The truth about lies: Why résumé fraud has become an epidemic

    June 13, 2025

    Redefining recognition: Why the future of HR leadership lies with rising stars

    June 12, 2025

    Social media is showing Indian workers what they’re missing—and they want change

    June 11, 2025

    When employees leave without notice, who bears the moral burden?

    June 10, 2025
    Latest Post

    L’Oréal expands employee share-ownership plan to boost engagement

    News June 13, 2025

    L’Oréal Groupe has announced the launch of its fifth global employee share ownership plan. This…

    From scrap to sustainability: GRP’s transformation story

    Quick HR Insights June 13, 2025

    In this powerful excerpt, Sanjeeb Lahiri, Chief Human Resources Officer at GRP Ltd, shares how…

    Coal India introduces new uniform dress code for employees starting July

    News June 13, 2025

    Coal India (CIL) is rolling out a new uniform dress code for its employees from…

    NDMC rolls out major employee-welfare measures

    News June 13, 2025

    In a bid to ensure employee welfare, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has approved…

    Asia's No.1 HR Platform

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn WhatsApp Bluesky
    • Our Story
    • Partner with us
    • Career
    • Reach Us
    • Exclusive Features
    • Cover Story
    • Editorial
    • Dive into the Future of Work: Download HRForecast 2024 Now!
    © 2025 HRKatha.com
    • Disclaimer
    • Refunds & Cancellation Policy
    • Terms of Service

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.