Yes I am on a hiring frenzy again and can I just say, I really wish people would just pay attention. There is a reason that we list required skills, required education and required experience. If you don’t even come close, don’t waste your time or the employer’s time. Yes there is something to be said for stretching yourself and looking to make a career change. I would never want to discourage that, however sending through an application that looks like you applied by mistake it not the way to accomplish that goal. Call the employer ask about the experience required, what they are looking for and how you skills may or may not transfer, yes I’m telling you to conduct an informational interview.
Here are some simple Do’s and Do Not’s when applying for jobs:
- Do customize your application, resume, objective statement (if you use one) and cover letter for each job.
- Do Not assume they’ll overlook it when your cover letter is for a teaching position and you are applying for a Management role.
- Do take the time to fill out the application completely.
- Do Not put “see resume” in the application sections asking for your duties and skills.
- Do have an objective party review your resume for edits and errors you may have overlooked (a second pair of eyes is always good).
- Do not rush through your resume and just send it to get it in. You may as well not have sent it at all.
You will hear lots of people say that finding a job is a full-time job. This is absolutely correct. It takes time, effort, creativity, determination and a dash of gumption (yes I just used that word). To land the interview, let alone the job. If you aren’t willing to put your best foot forward during the research and application process, you might as well forget getting the interview.
Working with students and graduates I make the analogy, if you aren’t willing to put in at least as much time into your resume and application process as you put into figuring out your interview outfit; then you are wasting your time. You may as well be sending your applications/resumes out into the dark hole of the internet, because no one is going to see it. You will not get a phone interview, you will not get an in person interview, you will not pass go and you will not collect $200.
A little time and effort on the front end, is going to make your job search so much more productive. Take the time, personalize, preview and perform.
For more interviewing tips, resume writing help, job search and career advice come back again to; “Connectthedotblog”.