vibrate

"do" And "do Not" When Applying For A Job!

5 posts in this topic

So I currently work in recruiting for a bit and after this experience I know why I got almost every job I applied for in my life: You can not believe how many crappy applications we get and how people behave (we are a big, well-respected NGO which pays decent salaries and very good benefits). So I thought I list a few things for those people here who aren’t enterpreneurs (yet) or students and actually need to get paid work to support themselves.

Do

  • Send in complete application. COMPLETE. It’s not so hard! Depending on the mood I’m in, I will write back to you and ask you for what is missing, or your application goes straight to the bin.
  • Send PDFS!!!! If you send me world files, I think I deal with a schoolkid.
  • Double-check your email after you sent it! If you forget to send an attachement, this way you at least realize it yourself and I don’t have to point it out to you.
  • Send us the right motivational letter. If it’s addressed to another person of another company, I won’t be amused. No second chance there.
  • We still want to see a motivational letter. Two lines in an email won’t do.
  • Do write something about the company or organisation that we know bothered with researching who we are.
  • Be upfront about problematic topics: Were you sacked in your last job? Don’t bring a skill we really want? Trying to not mention it or covering it up will not help – because I reealize what you’re doing. It will annoy me. If you, however, are upfront about it, I will consider you anyway, because noone is perfect.
  • Do follow up if you are really interested! If you don’t hear back, follow up. Chances are that you’ll make an impression on whoever takes the phone. If there is a sudden opening (someone drops out or cancels the interview), we might consider to fill the appointment with you.
  • Remember that you applied when I call you. If you don’t, pretend you do and try to get it together after we hung up.
  • DISCUSS things that don’t explain themselves: You claim to work for yourself but you apply for a full-time job? Explain why!! On your CV the last three years don’t show up? Explain why! I don’t hold it against you if you have travelled the world, I just don’t want to have to guess.

Do not

  • Blow-up your CV to make it look more interesting, be it with graphics or text. We want to see how old you are, your employment history and your skills and we want to find this info quickly.
  • Follow up 150 times. Once is plenty. We will get back to you eventually, but we are swamped with work.
  • Cancel the job interview because the cat is sick or your earlobe might be hurting tomorrow. We will not provide another slot for you.
  • Name-drop. It will make me think twice as hard if I consider you.
  • Ghost us. It’s perfectly ok to withdraw from a recruiting process for whatever reasons. Do it upfront and in a timely fashion.
  • Stay away from your mail and phone after you sent out applications. If I’m interested in hiring you, I want to be able to connect with you without having to try 3 times to reach you.
  • Send a selfie you took outside your garage.
  • Call me and curse me if we did not pick you. It will only be confirmation of our choice and your bad manners.

Bottom line: If you want the job, you need to invest some energy into the application and the whole process. Do it and do it gracefully. Most people don’t realize that hiring is a process almost noone has time for these days. The managers do it on top of their day-to-day- workload. We have to squeeze in interviews, people will skip lunch to talk to you. Don’t waste anybodys time and you’re good.

Edited by vibrate

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Also if you can visit them in person and have a chat with the employer. (instead of sending it via email)

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@Shiva OMG it is soooooo basic yet a majority of people seems to either not know or care...Blows my mind.

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some of those things I'd've second-guessed and then done wrong :o

 

Edited by alyra
correct grammar

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