Archive for the ‘Applications’ Category

Nothing else you need to know. Avoid these phrases…

I have a friend who is the (defacto) hiring manager at a local non-profit organization. After hearing about the crazy applications she received for an open position, I asked her to share her experiences for the benefit of the Gradversity readers. The result is her list of “rules” for electronic job applications. I hope you find it useful.

I have chosen not to include her name or organization as this list is not officially sanctioned by her company.

This past summer I had the opportunity to hire an employee for a 9-week contract position. I work for a small, not-for-profit company that develops injury prevention programs. I posted the position on Craigslist and received over 400 email applications. Given the overwhelming response, I developed some simple rules for job hunters to follow when applying for jobs electronically.

1. Always include contact information in an email signature.
2. Attach a cover letter instead of including it in the body of the email.
3. Consider bullet points for cover letters – they stand out to recruiters who are scanning electronic applications.
4. Keep the email message brief but be sure to sell yourself in a few key points. Try to include something unique.
5. Apply using the method advertised on the posting. If email is advertised, apply by email.
6. Avoid slang or conversational language in your cover letter, resume and email message.
7. Try using an alternate format – one of the strongest applications I received included a banner of quotes from past co-workers and employers.
8. Follow-up using the method posted in the job ad. In other words, if the posting requested email applications, follow-up via email.
9. Save your resume and cover letter in pdf format as it can be read on almost any computer.
10. When applying by email, use an email address that includes your name.

I hope these 10 tips are helpful to you in your electronic job hunt!

While looking back through some of my archived links I found this gem from Lindsay Olsen’s blog. Job Seeker Mistakes – Hall of Shame has a great collection of examples which highlight the mistakes made by Entry Level Job hunters when applying to a position she had posted.

While the whole list is pretty funny, my favorite was:

As a result of my varied experiences, I have learned how to work in various situations with varied goals.

Priceless! Check out the full article here.

A recent post on CAREEREALISM called Can I Break the “No Calls, No E-mails” Rule? had a very interesting debate between JT and Dale about when it might be acceptable to break this guideline. Given that this is one of those questions that every job hunter has, I thought I would throw my two cents into the discussion.

Here’s my take: If an employer explicitly suggests no calls or emails, you have two options. You can apply and take your chances or you can apply and follow up. If you just roll the dice and hope that they will see your resume, then you have a small chance they will find it and call you back. However, you increase your chances of being “found” if you follow up.

The point I’m hoping to make is that if you don’t follow up and just take your chances, it’s likely that your resume will never be found among potentially  hundreds of applications for a single position. If you aren’t likely to be found anyway, I don’t see the harm in breaking the rule. As JT suggests, it may cause you to be labeled as someone who “doesn’t follow instructions”, but I think that it’s a chance you have to take. Job hunting is serious business and one in which only the strongest candidates get hired.

If I were you, I would follow up anyway. I’d make it short and polite, but make it hit home. It’s still your best chance of standing out from the crowd. And yes, it may cause you to be labeled or ignored, but the alternative is being lost in the crowd.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below!