Are you a young graduate or do you not have any expertise in the environment you want to work in? Don't worry, your profile could still meet the expectations of some companies. Read this article to see why recruiters might be interested in your junior profile and you can make a strength out of your situation.
What is a junior profile?
A junior candidate is a person who is generally new to the job market. He or she has little professional experience as it is and wants to progress in his or her target job.
Junior profiles thus induce qualities and visions of work quite different from those of a senior profile. If you are a junior candidate, stay tuned, because you have all your cards to play in a job search, especially if you are looking for a job in IT development!
Junior application: in the sights of future-oriented recruiters
For one thing, recruiters are increasingly interested in junior applications because they represent the future of companies. Indeed, junior profiles who apply for specific jobs or who are recruited after submitting an unsolicited application represent the stakeholders of tomorrow. Recruiters are therefore well advised to consider their applications, since they can bring a fresh perspective to their company and its operations. They can quickly become agents of change that allow a company to evolve.
Moreover, after many years in school, young people generally only want one thing: to get involved in the workplace. As a result, a young employee will often bring new dynamics and innovative ideas that can be very useful to their employer.
Your training and skills attract the interest of recruiters
Contrary to popular belief, a young graduate has a high level of knowledge and skills, even if they do not have a high level of experience. Moreover, a junior will often be able to perform tasks using extremely modern techniques and tools, things that older employees may not be able to do. This is because a junior profile has a fresher theoretical knowledge that is just waiting to be put into practice!
In addition, whether as part of a course, project or internship, a junior candidate will have developed a maturity that will allow them to work in a professional environment. In short, even if the stakes are not the same, the academic community adequately prepares students to enter the workplace.
Make your junior profile a strength:your qualities
Recruiters also have an interest in junior profiles given the many qualities that often emerge from these applications: dynamism, adaptability and ambition.
These qualities are especially noticeable in applications from young graduates who want to demonstrate what they are capable of. How do you highlight them in an IT recruitment process?
In your cover letter and your resume
It is necessary to adapt your CV as well as your cover letter to your junior profile. How to do this?
Your resume
- Clearly define your professional project and explain in a short introductory text the greatest assets that will help you carry it out.
- You lack personal experience in the field you are applying for, that's a fact. In this case, focus on your skills instead! Your studies and potential internships have inevitably instilled in you strengths and qualities that should be shared with recruiters.
- Add all the software you master, the languages you speak, the tools you use. These technical skills are essential, and this is what recruiters need to know about a junior candidate.
- Don't leave anything out: a short internship of a few days deserves to appear on your IT resume, because it must have taught you something. Specify what and highlight any experience you received, whether it was part of your educational background or your work experience.
Your cover letter
- Don't put yourself down! Don't say you lack experience, don't use phrases that might cause your reader to worry. Don't say: "I know I don't have much experience, but...", "My application may seem less interesting than...", "I am just starting out in the sector...". Be positive and use phrases that put you forward.
- Write with enthusiasm. Convey your interest in the company by sharing what you like about it, mentioning its values and how they coincide with yours.
- Don't let even ONE mistake go by. If spelling is getting worse today, don't let it show on your resume. Be professional and have it proofread.
During your job interview
Making it to an IT interview can be a little intimidating. Don't panic! If you're a junior profile, put the following ideas into practice:
- Show enthusiasm. Through smiles, straight posture. Listen carefully to your recruiter or future employer and learn about the company you are applying to so you can ask relevant questions. Showing that you are well informed about the company will be an additional proof that you are conscientious and willing to invest yourself.
- You can bring a new vision! A young vision, a perspective that the company no longer necessarily has on itself. That's a real asset. :)
- Reassure your interviewer of your autonomy. If the goal is to supervise you in the beginning, a company needs to count on autonomous employees who will not be a burden in terms of time and investment. You want to grow alongside them, but more importantly, you want to prove to them that they can count on you.
- Emphasize your proactivity. Have you done internships, studied specific areas in the sector that you are passionate about? Tell the recruiter about it and say what actions you have taken and would like to undertake. A sense of initiative is always a highly appreciated quality!
- Insist on your desire to communicate with the team. On a web development project or any other IT job, it is essential to know how to communicate internally with your team members. To do this, have a conversation during your interview and don't hesitate to ask questions or make yourself available. Here again, smiles are important.
Entrust your junior position to a recruitment agency
Now that you know that your junior status can be suitable for many recruiters, you can apply for jobs that really motivate you, even if you have no experience. You could be called for a job interview faster than you think!
You can also contact Fed IT to speed up your job search. Our recruiters in IT and telecom, will be pleased to assist you, whatever your needs.