Customising your job applications
Failure to customize means failing to get the job you want
In our Motivate Me to find work section we look at -
Not getting the jobs you think you can do standing on your head? There might be a few Issues and Problems to sort out.
and that includes - Failure to customize your application
Your CV / Resume is not a once size fits all document, you should have a master document and you should then customize different versions for the different types of position you are applying for.
No, this is not about fudging the truth, rather ensuring you have the correct mix of keywords and key phrases in your document(s).
If a prospective employer asks applicants to have experience in a particular type of software, then they want to see that information in your CV or Resume and your Job Application (Covering Letters, Forms and Statements Addressing the Selection Criteria). They want you to state that you are familiar with it, how much experience you have with it, where you used it and how long ago.
Employers don’t like to guess.
Did you know that some employers use software to check documents for keyword density for a designed set of parameters? Well believe it or not they do and applications without the correct density will be rejected.
Can you afford to be rejected because of a lack of basic information such as this?
Why do organizations use software to do the initial weeding of applicants? In a tight labor market, where there are hundreds of applicants for each job it can be a very time consuming and labor intensive job to go through each application individually, so they get the computer to do the initial work for them. If you have ever wondered why you are specifically asked to submit your application online – well now you know.
How do you know what the designated parameters are?
Read the advertisement, the job application package and any other information you are given or sent very carefully. Go through the information with a notebook and pen and / or a highlighter pen. Write down or highlight the re-occurring words or phrases. You should pay particular attention to “Essential” and “Desirable” Selection Criteria. Applicants are usually selected to attend an interview if they are deemed to have met ALL of the “Essential” Selection Criteria and most (if not all) of the “Desirable” criteria as well.
Employers also don’t like to train if they can hire something that already has the right mix of skills and abilities they need.
Does your application prove that or not?
This was first published in the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine on the 4th August 2010
September 17, 2010 at 17:39
Reader Comments (1)
Thanks again.