6 Quick Tips to Succeed in your Applications — Dragonfly HK

Job hunting is by no means an easy process. And given the tighter job market, you must be ready with the right strategy. Follow these 6 essential steps to boost your chances of landing your dream job.

1 — Do Your Research

Research is an essential part of your application process — it helps you (1) make an informed career decision, and (2) differentiate yourself from the crowd.

Spend some time thoroughly understanding the industry, the company, and the role. Points you must tackle through your research are industry structure, recent developments and issues, business model and structure, future prospects, desired attributes etc. Internet search alone may not be sufficient enough to get an in-depth understanding — in this case, you may need to use of your connections (more on tip #4). However, your research will become futile if not applied appropriately — you must tailor your cover letter, CV, and interview responses based on this information researched to brand yourself as the “perfect fit”.

2 — Be Focused

More is NOT better when it comes to job applications.

Why? Because a more focused and targeted job search gives you time to understand the role, the company, and the necessary skills in enough detail, which pays off in interviews.

Remember: interviewers can easily tell whether a candidate is seriously committed or not, based on the quality and depth of their answers.

Focus is important also because each division requires a wholly different preparation process — the mindset, required qualities and knowledge, and habits (more on tip #5) are very division-specific. This is why applying to multiple roles with very different skill sets is generally discouraged (e.g. investment banking and sales & trading).

Bottom line: Be selective on your applications and allocate enough preparation time for each role to boost your chances of successfully landing the position.

3 — Revise, Revise, and Revise again

Your application is the first impression you offer to recruiters — it is therefore your responsibility to make sure that they are the best possible representation of your experience and abilities.

It is recommended that you review your application materials at least three times to ensure that you are presenting yourself as best as possible. Moreover, try to get feedback from friends and family who may be able to give you honest feedback from a third-person perspective, as it’s difficult to be objective after reviewing the same material multiple times. You may even reach out to professional connections to look through your application materials as appropriate.

4 — Build Your Network

Networking, as daunting as it may be to come has immense payoffs for your application.

Reaching out and speaking with people in the industry who know the business inside out can not only improve your understanding of the job but also help you stand out in interviews. Mentioning specific points discussed with your networks and even their names (aka name-dropping) during the interview can come a long way.

You can say something along the lines of — I spoke with Associate A who told me about ABC which reinforces my interest in XYZ. Of course, you should only do this if the person remembers you and has a positive impression of you. Not every networking session will go well, so you need to be perceptive and wisely select the individuals who you choose to mention in your interviews.

To maximize your payoff, you need to network strategically.

This means that you must network with the right people for the right information. For instance, analysts can share tips on the application process as they were recently recruited and share insights on their daily tasks and responsibilities as a junior. On other hand, seniors can often offer more high-level insights and trends into the industry.

What’s more, networking can reinforce your interview performance. Think of it as an upward spiral in which each networking session equips you with new knowledge that you can apply to the next one, ultimately improving the quality of your conversations by the time you walk into the interview room.

For more, check out this article for a step-by-step guide on networking.

5 — Develop Habits

Habits are a key to success — and this also applies to job hunting and to long-term career success.

In order to consistently perform well in interviews, you must be ready to speak confidently and extensively on current industry topics. Coming from an S&T background, during the application season, I developed habits such as reading market news daily, summarizing contents, and brainstorming trade ideas related to the article.

These daily habits helped not only in refining my understanding of the markets, but also always allowed me to always have solid trade ideas in my pocket for interviews. For IBD, I suggest to stay up to date with deal news, and regularly think about how you would value companies of your interest.

6 — Reflect On Your Experience

Even if you have missed out on crucial opportunities such as securing a penultimate-year internship, there are many more great opportunities that lie ahead of you should you choose to pursue them, which we have outlined in this article and highly recommend you take a read.

Job hunting is an arduous process that may entail numerous failures.

Given the increasingly tough job market in a pandemic, the ability to tolerate and reflect upon your failures to improve your performance is imperative for your success. If you are met with a rejection, objectively analyze your performance and identify what you can improve on so you can address them when the next opportunity arises. Viewing failures as not a source of discouragement but rather an opportunity for refinement will ultimately be what gets your foot in the door and facilitates long-term career success.

Before you go and get to work, read this: All of these 6 tips are equally important. You must remember that these points are all interrelated and ultimately reinforce each other. Invest enough time and effort into all the steps, from research to reflection, to get the most out of our strategy.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dragonflyhk/
Website: https://www.dragonflyhk.org

Originally published on Feb. 1, 2020.
https://www.dragonflyhk.org/ib-skills/6-application-tips