Top 5 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job in Manufacturing
At AllSearch, our team of nearly 40 recruiting experts specialize in an industry niche and leverage their deep insights and network of connections to help candidates find real and rewarding career paths every day. With years of experience in recruiting, we’ve seen first-hand the range of emotions candidates face when trying to land their dream job.
If you’re looking to take the next great step in your manufacturing career, you’ve come to the right place! To help you prepare for the job search process and increase your chances of landing your dream job, our Manufacturing Recruiters, Laura McKenney and Gisele Nadeau, are sharing tips on how to enhance your resume, ace interviews, and more. Let’s dive in.
Tip #1 – Fine-Tune Your Resume
Crafting a resume that will help you stand out among other candidates is key. To enhance your resume, consider the following:
- Don’t just list your current and previous employers, explain what they do. It’s helpful for hiring managers to understand the roles you’ve held as well as the types of products each employer produced, the types of materials and processes they used (i.e., machining, welding, soldering, etc.), and the industries they served. Many hiring managers are looking for industry-specific experiences, so ensuring your resume is not too generic is important.
- When applying for management or leadership roles, it’s beneficial to include hard numbers. For example, list the size of teams you’ve managed, the number of facilities you’ve overseen, or the amount of money you’ve saved a company because of a process you implemented.
- Showcase your certifications and accomplishments. To stand out from other applicants, be sure to sell yourself and list certifications you’ve earned, unique machinery you’ve used or repaired, computer systems or programs you’re familiar with, and specific product knowledge you have.
Tip #2 – Use Industry-Specific Keywords
When utilizing online platforms such as Glassdoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn, it’s important to remember that the key phrases you may use to search for an opportunity are likely similar to those hiring managers are using to search for resumes. Try to incorporate industry and experience-specific keywords into your resume (i.e., manufacturing engineer, plastics manufacturer, etc.). The more related keywords you include, the easier it will be for the recruiter or hiring manager to find you.
If you need support with resume development or editing, our manufacturing recruiters are ready to help! From providing advice on how to format key information and details to identifying keywords to incorporate in your resume, we’re the team to have in your corner when you’re looking to land your dream job. Get in touch to learn more.
Tip #3 – Sell Yourself During Interviews
Before participating in a job interview, research the company, their services, and team. During the interview, highlight something you found on the company’s website and how it ties into your experiences, values, goals, etc. Remember to focus discussions on why you would be an asset to the company (and not how the job could help you). Sell yourself by detailing how your experience matches what was listed in the job description and how it relates to the industry.
In addition to providing a platform to showcase how you could benefit the company, interviews are an opportunity for you to learn more about the employer, the position, and more to ensure it’s the right match for you. Be prepared with questions that will help you dig deeper into the company’s culture, daily responsibilities, etc. to ensure you have all the information you need to make the right decision if the company makes you an offer.
Tip #4 – Be Responsive & Engaged
Throughout the job search process, it’s critical that you’re engaged and responsive to all parties involved, including recruiters and hiring managers. Be sure to consider the following:
- Make sure you meet all application deadlines.
- Respond to communications in a timely manner.
- Stay connected even if you’re not offered the position or you decline the offer. Even if the position you applied for didn’t work out, you never know when the company or recruiter you were working with will have the “perfect” role for you, so maintaining relationships is beneficial.
Tip #5 – Partner with a Manufacturing Recruiting Team
If you’re looking to land your dream job in a manufacturing role, consider working with a specialized manufacturing recruiter. We’ll serve as your partner to help you get intel on the manufacturing job market, highlight the connection between you and the job opening to the hiring team, and help convey other information to the hiring manager, such interpersonal skills you possess that will work well for the role, why you’re looking for a new position, and more. We’ll advise and guide you throughout your job search and serve as an intermediary between you and hiring managers to ensure a smooth and efficient process.
An AllSearch Success Story
At AllSearch, we’re committed to enhancing careers. Check out the story below to see first-hand how Manufacturing Recruiter, Laura McKenney, helped a candidate secure his dream job!
Laura was recruiting for a manufacturing position and identified a highly qualified Maintenance Manager candidate. She engaged with the candidate to discuss the role and during the conversation learned that the position wasn’t the right fit because the company was smaller than what the candidate was hoping for. During their discussion, the candidate mentioned another company, his dream company. Laura knew the hiring manager at the company because she had placed a production worker there a few months prior. So, she let the candidate know she was going to create a profile for him and send it over to her contact at the dream company to see if they would be interested in speaking with the candidate. The company felt the candidate’s experience was a great match for their industry, and after interviewing him, the candidate was offered the Maintenance Manager position at his dream company!
Get Connected with A Manufacturing Staffing Agency
From aerospace and automotive to plastics and machinery, our specialized manufacturing recruiters focus on niche sectors and deliver a deep understanding of the market, know the importance of finding the right position for you, and have an expansive network to connect you directly to hiring managers. If you’re looking to land a leadership, operations, production management, project management, sales, human resources, or customer service position in the manufacturing industry, we’re the team to have in your corner. Reach out to us today to learn more about our manufacturing recruiting capabilities and team!