Applying for positions: Some things to think about

There is one thing you should never procrastinate over and that is applying for jobs / positions.

Don't leave things to the last minute because:

1. You will need time to put together the application, the covering letter, answers to selection criteria and customise your CV for the desired role. It is not something that can be written and sent in the one day. ALWAYS leave a day or two between writing the initial application etc and editing it before sending it on to the prospective employer. In fact this one technique is essential for any professional piece of written communication you write and send. Assignments are always better after being left a day before editing - guaranteed you will find spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.
2. Technology may fail. Not just yours, but if you are sending your application by email - never assume it will get there in time, so make sure you send it a good couple of days before the closing date. Add a read receipt so you know it has got there, or telephone the next day to make sure it has. The same goes for online applications - things fall over, connections break or fail, things that look like they have been sent - aren't. Don't trust anything.
3. Ditto with snail mail.
4. Leaving a job application to the last minute also smacks of a lack of planning on your part and maybe procrastination too - get in early, look keen. But don't rush the application either.

This was first published in the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine