How people look for work in Switzerland
How people look for work in Switzerland As Italians we are often very critical of our own country and full of praise for our neighbours, particularly when it comes to organisation and how they do things.
So why don’t we take their cue even when it comes to responding to job ads?
No doubt that some of you will be thinking that we should also do things like them when it comes to writing the ad and recruitment, but that goes beyond the scope of what we can do as individuals so let’s think about ourselves for the time being.
My client sent me an ad that he had responded to along with the documentation provided by the company looking for candidates. I noticed a section with advice on how to respond to the ad “Advice for candidates applying for an IRB position”.
Suggestions on how to apply for a position in Switzerland (69 kb.)
Some advice? Read the attached page every time you apply for a position.
Having a good CV is not enough to be called up for an interview.
Having a good CV isn’t enough for every position.
A motivation or presentation or marketing or covering letter - however you want to call it - is necessary and you should make the effort to write one to demonstrate why a company should consider you.
The labour market for people with experience does not only require you to express what you want for yourself, but especially what you can bring to the company or business you are applying to. It’s a market so you have to offer something rather than look for something.
A good application can demonstrate that:
Working efficiently is more expected than working hard, even if one does not exclude the other and vice versa.
– Università della Svizzera italiana
And if they do call you up for the interview, prepare for it!
- Look at the website of the company you will be meeting … in detail, everything you can find
- Think about what your new job would be like because you will also be interviewed about that. Even if the ad is brief put some thought into it, explore the alternatives, don’t just improvise if you can plan ahead.
Bottom line: with applications it’s about quality not quantity, so take your time with each one.
Otherwise there’s no point sending 500 CVs and complaining you haven’t had any responses because that just proves you’re a hard worker but not a good worker! And nobody wants to hire you!
