I have spent many hours in recent months, shortlisting candidates for vacant posts. I’ve been routinely disappointed at the quality of applications submitted. I am quite sure that many capable people are out there- but sadly they are selling themselves short on paper, so I will never know as I will never meet them. There is so much information available online that I’m astonished people don’t think to use it. A quick Google search for making job applications revealed well over 1 million links. If you’ve not been invited to interviews, you may have been assuming that you know how to make a good application. Perhaps it’s time to review your approach.
Learning how to make good applications is beneficial both for recruiters and applicants. It saves both parties time and effort. As we come out of recession, the economy is picking up with opportunities in some sectors that recruiters are struggling to fill. However, there is a real disconnect as recruiters struggle to find what they need from those applying for roles.
I am on a mission to try and spread the word that application skills are entirely learnable and well worth the effort. The mistakes I’ve listed are basic ones. Have you ever wondered why you didn’t make the shortlist? Check that you’re not making the following errors.
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Applying for the wrong job
Yes, the right job appears at the top of the application form, but the text and reasons for applying don’t match with any on the Person Specification. This suggests text has simply been cut and pasted from another application form and that this is one of many, with the applicant assuming applications is a numbers game. Outcome: bin.
2. Spelling and grammatical errors.
These are things that can easily be corrected using Spellcheck.
3. Not meeting any of the Essential criteria.
It’s to be expected that not all applicants will meet every single criteria. However the clue is in the title. If you don’t have the relevant qualification, equivalent experience or any of the Essential skills listed, it’s a going to be a ‘no.’
4. Enclosing copies of certificates that are not necessary, have not been requested or have any relevance to the job.
Don’t do this. Please also ensure your CV does not exceed 2 pages. I have received some of 8-10. 2 pages is the convention for most roles- unless a recruiter provides guidance to the contrary, in which case follow their instructions. If in doubt, stick to 2 pages. There is plenty of CV advice online. Here is just one source.
5. Not tailoring experiences that demonstrate relevance to the position you are applying for.
I don’t want or need to know about all the different things you’ve achieved in your Marketing role unless any skills are directly relevant to this role. Check the skills required in the Person Spec to help with this.
6. Burying your relevant experience in a lengthy ‘additional information’ section.
It’s not a treasure hunt. I don’t have time to spend unearthing skills buried in lots of text. Simply take each criteria in turn and provide evidence for each. This will save you a lot of time; your information will be presented neatly and you are making it harder for a recruiter not to select you. You will also be pleased at how much more professional your application looks.
7. Poor quality applications from people who should know better
A specific bugbear of mine; careers professionals or staff working in recruitment who submit poor quality applications- but who will be advising others on how to make high-quality applications. I don’t think so.
8. Not making it clear why you’re applying for the role.
Please remember to tell me why you want the job! I would love to see evidence of your motivation and enthusiasm as well as relevant skills and experiences. This is especially important if you lack some Essential skills.
What else can you do?
Think like a recruiter. Recruiters have a problem to solve- we desperately want to fill our vacancies with good people. However we are time-poor. If we receive 50 applications, we don’t have time to wade though 20 pages of information so make it easy for us to see how you match what we’re looking for. We will be delighted you’ve taken the time and trouble to do so.
A good application takes time. Far better to send off a smaller number of really good ones than send many general ones which are more likely to be rejected, unsurprisingly leading you to feel disheartened.
If you can reframe your approach, the quality of your applications will instantly improve and you’ll be able to showcase your many valuable skills and experiences and do yourself justice.
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.
Donald Rumsfeld
See also my related post on how to make the shortlist
