Advice and tips for people applying for jobs

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greenfield

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I have recently advertised a vacancy for the first time in a while and not surprisingly have been inundated with hundreds of applications. The particular job was an administrative job where it was specified that accuracy, attention to detail and excellent typing skills were required. To be honest I have been shocked by the poor standard of the vast majority of the applications but do not have the resources to give feedback directly. I thought it might be useful to start a thread here where those of us who work in HR or who have been involved in recruiting, pass on some advice to people out looking for a job. So based on my experience, here are my top ten for what they are worth....

1. NO spelling errors - make sure you check your covering email or covering letter as well as your CV. If you are sending your application in by post, make sure that the application is addressed correctly (one applicant spelt the name of the company incorrectly on the envelope). Even for your covering email, type the message into a Word document and check it before sending it. However don't reply entirely on spell-check and use a dictionary if you are not sure, there are plenty online. I would say more than half of the applications had spelling mistakes which automatically ruled them out of this job. Be very careful about using the word "liaise" as it seems to be a difficulty word to spell:D.

2. Pay attention to your grammar and syntax. What you type in your letter should make sense. Many of the letters had long rambling sentences full of gobblegook business speak, some of which sounded like they had been lifted from corporate brochures or websites. Plain English please (unless you are applying for a spin Doctor position :D). Ask someone else to read it (who can spell) and give you honest feedback.

3. The first person singular pronoun (I) is always in capitals, whether it is at the start or in the middle of a sentence. It was amazing how many people used "i" repeatedly.

4. Check your typing. Put a space after a full stop. Put a capital letter at the start of a sentence. Use paragraphs where appropriate. Check that your layout is clear and simple.

5. Read carefully the instructions on how you apply for the job and follow them precisely.

6. Apply for the actual job. This means that you always attach a detailed covering email or letter to your CV. However do not just copy and paste a generic letter that you reuse for every job. As a recruiter I want to know that you are interested in the particular job and in our Company. Your covering letter should say why you are interested in the particular job, why you are interested in our Company and what you have to offer to us. This takes a bit of research but it will make you stand out.

7. Don't avoid the obvious gaps or shortcomings in your background. Most CV's have some issue that jumps out to the recruiter for example a career change, applying for a more junior position, gaps between jobs, having less than the stated requirements for the job etc. You need to address this in your letter.

8. Keep your CV to a maximum of two pages. Use bullet points where possible rather than long paragraphs of text. Be consistent in the layout, including font and font size throughout. Make it easy for the recruiter to read it. Think of me sitting down with a mountain of CV's in front of me - you are not going to impress me if I have to work hard to figure out your details.

9. Include an email address. If you do not have one (surprisingly some applicants did not have one) the reality is that you are at least 24 hours behind the first applicants for the job. There are plenty of free emails available such as hotmail etc. However, make sure that your email address is appropriate. One applicant in an otherwise unremarkable CV has an address of (using my own askaboutmoney login as an example) Greenfield4fun@hotmail.com.

10. Do not reply on agencies. Companies are reverting to direct recruitment to save costs and because there are plenty of applicants available again.

I am sure that other people can give extra advice, particularly on speculative applications.

I really do feel really sorry for people who have found themselves out of work and also remember what is was like back in the 80's sending of hundreds of CV's and getting no reply.
 
greenfield said:
10. Do not reply on agencies. Companies are reverting to direct recruitment to save costs and because there are plenty of applicants available again.

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And certainly its not worth paying for jobsites that "will find you the hidden job marked" or tart up your CV
 
Agree re the email address.

Get a separate one that you use only for job applications if necessary; sticking as near as you can to the format of <firstname>.<lastname> @ <provider>.com

CuteHotGal@yahoo.com and the like doesn't inspire confidence.
 
All good advice.

As the first four points were concerned with writing standards, I read the post with a red-pen mindset -- and I found a typo.

Additional suggestions:
- Do not package a CV too elaborately with fancy binding materials; they are usually binned immediately (perhaps with the CV still inside); use good-quality stationery, but nothing too unusual, like 120gsm antique ivory.
- Leave decent margins on the page; this assists readability; in particular, a generous left margin might help the prospective employer file it and still be able to consult it.
- Be prepared to tailor your CV to foreground points that are relevant to a particular job (while still being truthful).
 
Tailor you CV and cover letter to the job. Most job specs hand it to you on a plate re the 4/5 key competencies and skills they want, yet so many people just dont make the connection. I waded through 35 applications a few months ago, and only 2 -3 people did the above, they stood out and got selected for interview.

Apart from e-mail addresses, some people may need to be careful re their digital footprint e.g. FB, Myspace pages etc - some employers do look people up!
 
ha, ha, kind of knew I was setting myself up for some rigourous proof reading - I actually think that my no "reply" to agencies is a freudian slip as I am definitely not replying to all the emails and messages I have had from agencies since I advertised the job (the ad specified that I did not want to be contacted by agencies).
 
Great points Greenfield, I have a friend who's job searching at the moment and will pass on the info.
 
Read the job advert, you'd be amazed how many people don't seem to do that and think if they send the same CV out for every job they'll get an interview

If you give your mobile number, remember to be careful as to what you say on your voicemail message, I still remember calling one guy about a job he'd applied for a while back, very impressive CV, my call went straight to his voicemail and his message said, "if I know you and like you I'll call you back, if I don't, f..k off" or words to that effect. I didn't leave a message.
 
Kildrought said:
Agree re the email address.

Get a separate one that you use only for job applications if necessary; sticking as near as you can to the format of <firstname>.<lastname> @ <provider>.com

CuteHotGal@yahoo.com and the like doesn't inspire confidence.
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alas that's how I lost my wickedwitch email address, lack of use when I started applying for jobs.
 
I work in recruitment and receive CVs from individuals applying for positions. Many of the individuals applying for roles don't read the job spec and end up wasting my time and their own time. When a job description mentions that a candidate must have a certain qualification, there is no sense in a candidate without those qualifications applying for the role.

I understand that many individuals believe it's a "numbers game" and that by sending many applications he or she will get an interview. This maybe the case but job seekers should take care to understand the role they are applying for.

It is a good idea for individuals to network a little prior to sending an application. Talking to a manager in a company that is in contact with the Hiring Manager would certainly be a good idea. This way the application is endorsed and gives a job seeker a far greater chance of securing an interview.
 
Spec said:
I work in recruitment and receive CVs from individuals applying for positions. Many of the individuals applying for roles don't read the job spec and end up wasting my time and their own time. When a job description mentions that a candidate must have a certain qualification, there is no sense in a candidate without those qualifications applying for the role.
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Back in the day I used to work for a newspaper in the production dept. I had extremely good photoshop skills (I mean exceptional) and reasonable quark skills but no illustrator skills to speak of. I knew that if I could get to show my photoshop skills "live" I could get a job just about anywhere. I was a photoshop specialist.

Time went by and I wanted a change. I applied for several jobs through recruitment agencies. All the adverts asked for Photoshop, quark and illustrator. That is because they were the standard three packages for any designer. I never got one call / email back from a recruitment agency. I realised that I was getting binned because I didn't meet all the requirements on paper. To this day I am certain that I would have had no problem landing a job if I had been allowed forward to interview. I was young and naive though. I didn't assert myself. I did talk to a few recruitment consultants but in each case it became clear to me that they did not fully understand the industry, job in question, or why my skills would be in demand.

Roll on a few years. I am now in recruitment too, although I do very little direct recruiting. I have never forgotten my experience then as a job seeker. I drum into all those around me the importance of getting to know their candidates, and frankly, if they don't know the industry they are recruiting into then they won't be working in the company I work for.

Imho the attitude
end up wasting my time and their own time
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is partially responsible for the horrific reputation the recruitment industry in languishing in. These people may not have read the advertisement properly and may indeed not be suitable for the particular job, but there will be other jobs. In fairness to you at least you say that they waste your time.... so you are clearly not just ignoring them as happens in some cases.

This is not aimed at Spec:-
Recruitment Consultants all to often treat their candidates in particular with contempt or a superior attitude. Recruitment is a service industry and candidates are the customers every bit as much as clients are. Now that we are in a recession there are too many recruitment consultants trying to fill too few jobs. Recruitment consultants are losing their jobs. The ones that survive will be the ones that offer a good service. In fact good may no longer be enough! The recruitment industry needs a cleansing.

With regards to the original post. You were quite right in thinking that you would not need the services of a recruitment agency to find you an admin role. You are incorrect in assuming that nobody needs the services of a recruitment agency in the current economic climate.

Depending on the role, recruiting staff can still be a difficult task. I personally have experienced several positions in the last few months that have either remained unfilled or have required bringing in staff from abroad.

Recruitment agencies also provide a first stage vetting process - a pre-interview selection process that would have provided you with a neatly trimmed down version of the pile of CV's you got with only suitable applicants. (if you do not get relevant CV's from a recruitment agency then drop them and use other ones.... there are plenty out there looking for your business. You are paying for a service after all... make sure you get it.)

The recruitment agency will have a large network of advertising locations that will give a much greater spread of advertising than you would be likely to achieve on your own without spending more than the cost of the recruitment agency in both actual expense and the hours of work needed to achieve similar results. This means a bigger pool of potential candidates to pick from.

A good recruitment consultant should also be able to give you advice on the current market, show an understanding of the position you wish to fill and your company. They should be able to advise you on current salary trends and should shape your job description to attract the right candidates. They should be able to talk you through all the candidates they send to you before you select which ones you call for interview.

In short, using recruitment agencies can make the selection of a new employee considerably easier and is often viewed by companies as outsourcing part of their HR function. Nobody ever outsources for any reason other than savings be it that they come from time saved or money saved or both (is there a difference?).

There is one more, often overlooked, aspect to using recruitment agencies. Nearly all of them will offer the security of a refund if the employee you hire does not work out (within a reasonable time frame). Often this is commuted to a free replacement. If you are not using an agency you would have to go through the entire expense again. This refund policy makes sense, because although you made the ultimate erroneous hiring decision, it was the recruitment agency that supplied you with that person in the first place and they are therefor equally culpable!
 
I wonder if the hiring company should advise a prospective employee that they are being taped?

I recently applied for a call centre job and had a reply from the HR Manager who left me a message to call her back. I returned her call but she asked me to hold for a moment. I presumed that she was on another call and thought nothing of it. We had a short chat and I realized that I was being asked questions that would normally be asked in an interview. I explained that I wanted time to prepare for an interview and she said she would get back to me.

At the close of business that day, I received an e-mail stating that due to my responses on the telephone interview, they would not be pursuing my application and wished me luck!

Is this common business practice? I think I should have been advised that I was participating in a telephone interview and given a chance to prepare. Am I being too naive? I feel completely duped!!!
 
Jobsguru - To clarify, my advice was that job seekers should not rely on agencies and I think this applies no matter what job or what sector you are in. In recent years many people went to agencies and no further when looking for work and never considered any other avenues.

For cindilu, I evaluate candidates during any contact I have with them, even if it is just a quick conversation to arrange an interview. You were asked to ring the HR manager and although you did not know it was a fornal interview, you should consider that any contact with a Company forms part of your evaluation and more importantly represents an opportunity to sell yourself. I would chalk that interview down to experience and try not to let it annoy you too much.
 
Thanks, Greenfield. Ok, I guess I'll just chalk that up to experience. In future, I'll make sure I'm prepared for any contact.
 
I was looking for a thread on C.V.'s and this seems to fit the bill. I am very interested to hear again from prospective employers regarding the cover letter. A friend of mine has asked me to look over her husbands cover letter as he has sent out over one hundred applications and has only received one interview. I am aware that not all of this will be down to his cover letter or c.v. but would like some advice anyway. My initial feeling was that the cover letter was too long winded and only reiterated what was already on his c.v.

For many years I have been under the illusion that a cover letter should be brief and to the point. 'Dear .... I wish to apply for the position of....as advertised in..... Please find attached my curriculum vitae for your perusal/attention. I would be delighted to attend for an interview at your convenience and if successful would be available for an immediate start'. I was under the impression that many cover letters are simply a repetition of the information already contained in the c.v. and that the c.v. should be self explanatory. However, according to many posters here, a more comprehensive cover letter is required and it would seem to be the consensus of many websites who give advice on such matters.

Aside from repetition, I also assumed that given the current climate, employers/recruiters would not have the time to read 100's of long cover letters and could deduce from the c.v. whether the candidate was suitable for interview or not.

It would seem I have been misguided for some time now and perhaps this is the reason that I have been unsuccessful in my own recent attempts to secure a full time job.

I would love to hear some feedback on this and if someone has seen a good basis for a cover letter (I realise it should be job specific and not generic) I would be very grateful if they would give me the website address.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi

For the fourth time in a row I have responded to an ad posted on a jobs website (where I do have the relevant experience and skills), have spoken to the recruitment agent when they followed up with a phone call only to be fobbed off with an excuse as to why the job I applied for doesn't actually exist. Is it just me or are there really no jobs out there but recruitment agents are posting vacancies just to get a rake of CVs in?
I'm genuinely looking for a job and I'm finding this very frustrating.
 
Unfortunately many, many jobs on those sites are merely fishing for CVs.....its really annoying.
 
greenfield said:

10. Do not reply on agencies. Companies are reverting to direct recruitment to save costs and because there are plenty of applicants available again.

I am sure that other people can give extra advice, particularly on speculative applications.

I really do feel really sorry for people who have found themselves out of work and also remember what is was like back in the 80's sending of hundreds of CV's and getting no reply.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't that be they are plenty of applicants and 80's sending off hundreds.

Surely spotting those(or should that be these? Oh you have me paranoid now) mistakes qualifies me for the job? :cool:
 
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