Companies are looking for the “perfect match” – the job search as a job

Are you a specialist or manager who keeps failing with your applications? Maybe the problem is that you have too much work experience instead of too little.

Despite the shortage of skilled workers, companies are becoming increasingly demanding when filling a position. If you only meet 80% or even less of the required qualification profile, there is a high risk that your application will end up in the rejection pile, at least this applies to applications on the German-speaking job market.

Here the job advertisement is like a keyhole to which your application must fit like a key. This means reading the job advertisements very carefully and then checking your CV to see what you should leave out in order to make the application suitable for the advertised position. If you have repeatedly changed industries and positions, you need to work out a common thread in your CV that fits the position advertised. The applicants don’t want an all-rounder (that doesn’t exist anyway), but rather applicants with a crystal-clear profile who at least haven’t had any frequent zigzag moves into foreign industries or professions. The job search usually takes 6 months for average qualified specialists. The higher the qualification, the longer it takes on average to find a suitable job.

Most application recipients want the applicant to have a profile that almost perfectly matches the advertised position and are not prepared to offer long training, especially not for expensive specialists or managers.

So ask yourself every time you apply: What exactly does the company need when it advertises this position? Where does the shoe pinch? And work out which specific painkiller you could be for the application recipient. Standardized applications based on the watering can principle (“one size fits all”) don’t help. You have to invest a lot of time and energy in every serious application. Looking for a job is also a job. By the way:In many American companies the situation is different. They are more willing to offer on-the-job training, i.e. to fill applicants‘ qualification gaps. It is not so important there that you have changed industries more often or even whether you have a doctorate. The main thing is that you can do the job (possibly after training). Career changers have a much better chance of finding a job for which they are currently less than 80% qualified. The law firm Hussain-Hämäläinen, together with the very renowned personnel consultant, Mr. Manne Tiensuu, coaches specialists and managers in their search for a new position. 

Do you have questions? Contact us. We are happy to help!