PSA - applying for jobs

[RS]

When you are applying for a job-

1. Follow all the directions listed on a job ad. If it instructs you to send a cover letter in a MS Word format with salary requirements, do exactly that. Don't be surprised if you don't get an interview if you don't comply with the application process, no matter how qualified you are for a position.

2. Don't call asking to learn more about the job. Usually, the questions applicants ask are disclosed in the job. I understand trying to gain "intelligence" about the company/job, but unless you know someone who works there already, this is a waste of time.

3. Don't bother applying to jobs you are not remotely qualified for. You are wasting everyone's time, including your own.

4. Don't spam your resume. It won't help.

5. Remember that it isn't too difficult to spot lies on a resume or application, particularly if you work in a specific industry. Just be honest.

6. If you can't figure out how to complete the online application, don't call the company to try to get them to help you. Companies don't want to hire people that can't figure out basic things (like localized IT/internet issues) or follow directions.

7. Make sure you don't have an obnoxious ringback tone or voice mail message.

8. If you are job searching, make sure you answer your phone and sound awake, polite, and normal. HR people are too busy to play phone tag.

Bonus tip - if you do get an interview don't show up later of course, but also don't show up to early. If you do arrive early, sit in your car and listen to music, get some coffee, read, etc. It is awkward sitting in the lobby starring at the receptionist for a half hour and off-putting to the HR and/or hiring manager. Those people usually have a tight schedules and schedule applicants at a specific time for this reason.

[MJ5150]

Great stuff buddy. Seems like common sense to many of us, but apparently not.

-Mike

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Also, check your spelling and grammer, or have someone else check it for you.

Make sure all the dates on your CV/Resume/Application are correct.

For a CV or Resume make sure you have consistent formatting, also don't burden it with a ton of information. People are busy, they want everything represented concisely.

As Mike points out, it's all common sense.

Also, represent you on your best day, even beyond the application and into interviews, just be honest.

Also put prep. into the more typical HR type questions you are likely to hear as well as background reading on the position, the company and what they expect from you.

It's hard times out there right now, so the little things matter more than ever. I've been quite fortunate, looking for a new job come July, I applied for two jobs, got two interviews and got offered one of the positions

[RS]

I am not generally one to offer unsolicited advice, but I've been seeing these types of behavior increasing. I posted an admin job for my company and out of approximately 50 applicants only one person followed the application directions.

[UncleFluffy]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Also, check your spelling and grammer

*cough*

Also. Do some background reading on the company you're interviewing at. Have some questions to ask the interviewer. Show interest. Be capable of interacting and having a conversation about the job, don't just answer questions.

[Chebass88]

1. Learn how to answer behavioral-based interviewing. The interviewer is looking to hear your answer in a specific format, so practice at home.

2. If you smoke, try to cut back a little bit before your interview. Having a fresh butt just before walking in the door means you'll stink, which is off-putting to a non-smoker.

3. For online applications, if not too difficult, print out the pages (or save them to pdf) while you are applying. If something happens during the application process, you can re-enter the information easily. (**Especially true for government jobs!)

4. Look good (& appropriate for the job). Make sure your suit is cut right, your tie does not have a gravy stain on it, your shoes are shined (and not falling apart), etc. Even if it means spending a couple hundred bucks at the local department store - do it. You'll make it back when you work.

5. If you have an interview that involves eating (e.g., over lunch at a restaurant) - KNOW HOW TO EAT PROPERLY. You are being judged. Eat something easy - like a grilled chicken salad, NOT chicken wings. Chew with your mouth closed, don't speak with your mouth full, and use minimal condiments (don't dump ketchup on everything).

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by UncleFluffy

*cough*

Also. Do some background reading on the company you're interviewing at. Have some questions to ask the interviewer. Show interest. Be capable of interacting and having a conversation about the job, don't just answer questions.

The upside of it being a post on an internet message board and not formal communication - not having to worry about proofing

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Chebass88

4. Look good (& appropriate for the job). Make sure your suit is cut right, your tie does not have a gravy stain on it, your shoes are shined (and not falling apart), etc. Even if it means spending a couple hundred bucks at the local department store - do it. You'll make it back when you work.

Try not to get blood on your shirt either, though I still got offered that position

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by RS

I am not generally one to offer unsolicited advice, but I've been seeing these types of behavior increasing. I posted an admin job for my company and out of approximately 50 applicants only one person followed the application directions.

When I was hiring for my old company, I put a Craigslist ad out for a $12/hour phone receptionist. I got approximately 300 responses in 24 hours. I specifically asked to CUT and PASTE the resume in the response email, as I don't want to have so many MS Word windows open. About 40-50% still sent the attached resume, and I deleted them immediately - if you can't follow directions, I don't want to hire you.

Another point of interest. Do not send a response from your "baller4life69@yahoo.com" email address, as I recieved. Have a professional email address for professional communications.

[Factor88]

#1- could not agree with this one more. I work for the Feds and have been the hiring official for about a dozen recruitments, and have seen a number of otherwise perfect candidates get screened out because they ignored the directions to submit college transcripts along with the other application materials.

#3- I agree here too, but from my experience the problem is that people (1) don't self assess very well and (2) often are mistaken about what a certain job actually is. So what I am saying is that I think it is rare that people actually knowingly apply for jobs they know they can't cut; in their own minds they think they are perfect for it!

#4-Meh. I actually landed a much-needed job right out of undergrad in the field of my choice by sending a cover letter and resume to every firm that employed people with my type of training in the state I wanted to work. Unsolicited. Did not hear anything for a couple months and then, bam..we got your resume, when can you start?

#5 agreed, and along these same lines, if I am hiring you as a budget analyst, I don't care that you were a dishwasher at Applebee's during high school. Keep the experience relevant.

[RS]

Originally Posted by Factor88

#3- I agree here too, but from my experience the problem is that people (1) don't self assess very well and (2) often are mistaken about what a certain job actually is. So what I am saying is that I think it is rare that people actually knowingly apply for jobs they know they can't cut; in their own minds they think they are perfect for it!

#4-Meh. I actually landed a much-needed job right out of undergrad in the field of my choice by sending a cover letter and resume to every firm that employed people with my type of training in the state I wanted to work. Unsolicited. Did not hear anything for a couple months and then, bam..we got your resume, when can you start?

I think your point is fair that many people lack of accurate self assessment and no one what to think they are not capable of doing most jobs. At the same time, if the position has 10 clearly objective/empirical requirements, and you don't meet most of them, you are not going to get the job and wasting everyone's time.

I could argue you what you did wasn't necessarily spamming. You targeted employees in your field and in your geography. Still sounds like there was a great deal luck and timing on your side. Generally, unsolicited resumes are not often retained, effectively organized, or weighted as highly as "fresh" applications.

[ShredderMaximus]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Try not to get blood on your shirt either, though I still got offered that position

Don't show up with a ginormous black eye either...

I wasn't offered the position.

[Philonius]

Sort of OT, but a bit of a funny story nevertheless. A friend of mine worked for a machining company that made aerospace components for Boeing. QC is "fairly" important in that industry. One guy showed up to interview for a job in production wearing a ball cap that said "S_ _ T HAPPENS"

No, he didn't get the job.

[RS]

Originally Posted by Philonius

Sort of OT, but a bit of a funny story nevertheless. A friend of mine worked for a machining company that made aerospace components for Boeing. QC is "fairly" important in that industry. One guy showed up to interview for a job in production wearing a ball cap that said "S_ _ T HAPPENS"

No, he didn't get the job.

Ha!

[matante]

I'll add one more that may seem obvious: Tailor your resume to the specific ad you are replying to, and use keywords from that ad.

[mpdd]

complaining about your current job or the school you went to doesn't go over that well

[dullsilver_mike]

Numbers 1, 2, and 6 all assume that the company has a competent person in charge of the postings. I've been on the job hunt for a while now, and I'm regularly attempted to solicit companies about a marketing or hr position because they clearly aren't employing anyone who knows how to provide clear information to applicants or to make a position (and company) look professional and desirable.

Unfortunately the same people that would screen my call or cover letter are the ones whose job I'd be after.

I do still follow those rules, but it turns into a cryptography exercise or guessing game much more often than it should.

[Tat2dHeart]

Here's my two cents on this....

* Be polite and friendly to everyone you meet in the application and interview process, regardless of their role in the company. As a hiring manager, we talk to a lot of people you encounter in the process and their opinions are taken into account. If you're rude to the receptionist, we'll wonder if you're going to be rude to other people, too.

[duff beer]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

The upside of it being a post on an internet message board and not formal communication - not having to worry about proofing

If you can't spell on a message board, you probably can't spell in real life either.

[fdeck]

If spamming didn't work, there would be no telemarketing, robo-calling, junk mail, or spam.