It is hard to imagine, but at one time applying for job required filling out a paper job application form by hand. You needed to stop by the hiring company, and pick up a paper application form, or fill out the form at the company offices. This all seems light years ago, now, and thanks to the world-wide web, job applications are available and filled out online. In this part of the series I will describe how to identify jobs that are worth a job submission, and preparation for a successful application submission. As with most aspects of career, a little planning goes a long way.
WHERE TO APPLY: In this case the “where” is which company sites and which job boards. Which regards to the first category, you want to research companies by a personal criterion. This might be a criteria of office location, type of industry, or company mission. The process of how to establish some criteria for your next job is a topic in itself. Engaging with a career professional, such as a career coach, or a career consultant will provide a lot of help in this area to focus your job search. For background on this see the previous section, part 3, “Resume Road Map” for some guidance. For the second category, currently, there is no better place to look for open positions then LinkedIn Jobs. You can search by keyword and geographic area. Facebook also is doing job listings now. If you have a Facebook account, go to Facebook.com/jobs. Beyond this research the best job boards for your particular profession. For example, dice.com is a great place to look for jobs in the IT and technology fields. You can utilize google or another search engine to locate the best job boards for your search. Try to look for job bboards that do not duplicate listings.
WHAT TO APPLY FOR: In a job search, as in so many things in life, you want to work smart. In this case, you don’t want to apply for jobs that don’t match (somewhat) to your skills, and experience. To work smart, make sure you read over the job requirements section in the job you are considering. At one time, I advised people to only apply for a position if they met all but one or two of the job requirements. But my opinion has change on this in the last few years. Now I advise people to apply if they meet 60% or more of the job requirements. The reason I have loosed my guidelines is because I have come to see that some hiring managers don’t bother, don’t have time to create a job description that accurately reflections what they are really looking for. They pull a job description template, and use that description for their job listing. For example, if a job description is for a “Business Analyst”, in practical terms this covers a lot of ground. The actual skills the hiring manager might be looking for might include some project management work, or some data mapping, or some software training, or even some system management. Sometimes you don’t really know which of these skills are critical to the open position until you go in for the interview. With this in mind, if all else in the job description looks favorable, but you only meet 60% of the job requirements, go for it. I say it is fine to go ahead and apply. But do concentrate your efforts of jobs that you are closely matched with. Submit to jobs that seem to align 90% with your background, and skills before the jobs where you may only align to 60% of the requirements. But they are both game.
RESUME RECAP: I devoted an entire section in this series on how to create an effective resume. (See part 2 for the complete write-up.) I am not going to repeat all the content on resume writing here, but I do want to summarize some basics. The goal of the resume is to get a job interview. Plain and simple. It is putting your best foot forward, but it also needs to be honest. It also helps to include powerful keywords. Right now, all things equal, the common powerful keywords include, Achieved, Improved, Trained/mentored, Managed, Created and Resolved. As well as Volunteered, Influenced, Increased/decreased, Negotiated, Launched, and Revenue/profits. (For a good article on resume keywords, see… https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/03/17/the-best-and-worst-words-to-use-on-your-resume/#3146214b48cf ). As you build, and edit your resume, consider using these and other current powerful keyword in the body of your resume. Keywords not only help you when your resume is reviewed by a human being – a company recruiter, or hiring manager. Keywords are also important as they are being scanned by special software. This software is called, applicant tracking systems (ATS). There is also software that tracks and reports on applicant’s use of Social Media. If you ever posted material that was off-color, a political rant, or really anything you are not especially proud of, now would be a good time to go out and delete those posts in social media. For tips on how to make it through the ATS gates, see… https://www.themuse.com/advice/beat-the-robots-how-to-get-your-resume-past-the-system-into-human-hands .
A detailed discussion of ATS is a topic unto itself, but for purposes of our discussion here on submitting job applications, be aware that ATS, along with other methods work to reduce the big stack of résumés down to the small stack of résumés that the recruiter actually scans manually, and makes decisions on who to bring in for interviews. Depending on the company, the recruiter has anywhere from 2 seconds to 30 seconds to read your résumé and make a decision to call you in. With this in mind put your best foot forward, include powerful keywords, but keep our resume easy to read, and avoid fancy (but distracting) formatting, and changes in font. Use powerful keywords both in your resume, and also in any responses within the job submission form that ask for elaboration on a particular aspect of your education, skills, and experience. This will increase your chances to be selected for an interview.
HOW FAR BACK IN JOB HISTORY: There is not a blanket answer to the question of how far back in your job history do you need to go on the application. The best advice is to read the instructions carefully and conform to the instructions given in the application. With that said, the older jobs in your history tend to become less and less relevant, as years go by. Often, I see recommendations not to go back father than 10 years. But I would revise this to say go back as far as 15 years if it is relevant to the job application, but no farther back than 15 years regardless.
COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS: It is becoming more, and more common that companies will ask for your college transcripts in an electronic form. This saves them time in requesting information from colleges you attended. Work with your college to get electronic access to your transcripts. Often an “unofficial” version can be downloaded as a pdf file once you have been granted access by your college, or university. It is a good idea to obtain a copy of transcripts in advance of starting the job application process.
REFERENCES: Very often you will be asked to list references. Application forms will typically ask for the name of the person, how you know them, phone number, and email address. My suggestion is to build your references list in advance. Try to get names, and contact numbers of at least three former supervisors, and three to five other references.
START DATE: If you are not currently employed, specify today as your availability date. If you are currently employed state three weeks out as your earliest availability date. (Three weeks assumes one week to do inte3rviews, and two weeks’ notice to your current employer – which is standard notice.
HONEST & ACCURATE: I would never recommend to anyone to be dishonest, and thanks to the ever-increasing amount of personal information that is obtainable – all the more reason to be honest. Again, best practice is to put your best foot forward, while being truthful. Keep the information you input into the form accurate, and consistent. It will improve your chances to be selected for an interview.
REVIEW YOUR APPLICATION: Most job application systems allow you to review your completed application before you do the final submission. Read the application out loud to yourself. This will allow you to catch any omissions, or errors.
Gone are the days of number 2 pencils, and worrying about spelling. Online systems, usually accessed through the web, is the force that drives job application collection. With electronic job applications, accessed through the web, we gain convenience, and a more leisurely way to apply for a job. Along with greater convenience, we also gain the opportunity to take greater care in accuracy, and selling our education, skills, and experience. By utilizing a resume that includes powerful keywords, and by filling out the application accurately, and completely, including any transcripts that are requested, and providing five for more professional references, you will earn the edge over other less careful candidates, and improve your chances to be called in for the prized job interview.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC, CCC is a professional Career Coach, and Business Consultant. For more information see Ascendprocoach.com
WHERE TO APPLY: In this case the “where” is which company sites and which job boards. Which regards to the first category, you want to research companies by a personal criterion. This might be a criteria of office location, type of industry, or company mission. The process of how to establish some criteria for your next job is a topic in itself. Engaging with a career professional, such as a career coach, or a career consultant will provide a lot of help in this area to focus your job search. For background on this see the previous section, part 3, “Resume Road Map” for some guidance. For the second category, currently, there is no better place to look for open positions then LinkedIn Jobs. You can search by keyword and geographic area. Facebook also is doing job listings now. If you have a Facebook account, go to Facebook.com/jobs. Beyond this research the best job boards for your particular profession. For example, dice.com is a great place to look for jobs in the IT and technology fields. You can utilize google or another search engine to locate the best job boards for your search. Try to look for job bboards that do not duplicate listings.
WHAT TO APPLY FOR: In a job search, as in so many things in life, you want to work smart. In this case, you don’t want to apply for jobs that don’t match (somewhat) to your skills, and experience. To work smart, make sure you read over the job requirements section in the job you are considering. At one time, I advised people to only apply for a position if they met all but one or two of the job requirements. But my opinion has change on this in the last few years. Now I advise people to apply if they meet 60% or more of the job requirements. The reason I have loosed my guidelines is because I have come to see that some hiring managers don’t bother, don’t have time to create a job description that accurately reflections what they are really looking for. They pull a job description template, and use that description for their job listing. For example, if a job description is for a “Business Analyst”, in practical terms this covers a lot of ground. The actual skills the hiring manager might be looking for might include some project management work, or some data mapping, or some software training, or even some system management. Sometimes you don’t really know which of these skills are critical to the open position until you go in for the interview. With this in mind, if all else in the job description looks favorable, but you only meet 60% of the job requirements, go for it. I say it is fine to go ahead and apply. But do concentrate your efforts of jobs that you are closely matched with. Submit to jobs that seem to align 90% with your background, and skills before the jobs where you may only align to 60% of the requirements. But they are both game.
RESUME RECAP: I devoted an entire section in this series on how to create an effective resume. (See part 2 for the complete write-up.) I am not going to repeat all the content on resume writing here, but I do want to summarize some basics. The goal of the resume is to get a job interview. Plain and simple. It is putting your best foot forward, but it also needs to be honest. It also helps to include powerful keywords. Right now, all things equal, the common powerful keywords include, Achieved, Improved, Trained/mentored, Managed, Created and Resolved. As well as Volunteered, Influenced, Increased/decreased, Negotiated, Launched, and Revenue/profits. (For a good article on resume keywords, see… https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/03/17/the-best-and-worst-words-to-use-on-your-resume/#3146214b48cf ). As you build, and edit your resume, consider using these and other current powerful keyword in the body of your resume. Keywords not only help you when your resume is reviewed by a human being – a company recruiter, or hiring manager. Keywords are also important as they are being scanned by special software. This software is called, applicant tracking systems (ATS). There is also software that tracks and reports on applicant’s use of Social Media. If you ever posted material that was off-color, a political rant, or really anything you are not especially proud of, now would be a good time to go out and delete those posts in social media. For tips on how to make it through the ATS gates, see… https://www.themuse.com/advice/beat-the-robots-how-to-get-your-resume-past-the-system-into-human-hands .
A detailed discussion of ATS is a topic unto itself, but for purposes of our discussion here on submitting job applications, be aware that ATS, along with other methods work to reduce the big stack of résumés down to the small stack of résumés that the recruiter actually scans manually, and makes decisions on who to bring in for interviews. Depending on the company, the recruiter has anywhere from 2 seconds to 30 seconds to read your résumé and make a decision to call you in. With this in mind put your best foot forward, include powerful keywords, but keep our resume easy to read, and avoid fancy (but distracting) formatting, and changes in font. Use powerful keywords both in your resume, and also in any responses within the job submission form that ask for elaboration on a particular aspect of your education, skills, and experience. This will increase your chances to be selected for an interview.
HOW FAR BACK IN JOB HISTORY: There is not a blanket answer to the question of how far back in your job history do you need to go on the application. The best advice is to read the instructions carefully and conform to the instructions given in the application. With that said, the older jobs in your history tend to become less and less relevant, as years go by. Often, I see recommendations not to go back father than 10 years. But I would revise this to say go back as far as 15 years if it is relevant to the job application, but no farther back than 15 years regardless.
COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS: It is becoming more, and more common that companies will ask for your college transcripts in an electronic form. This saves them time in requesting information from colleges you attended. Work with your college to get electronic access to your transcripts. Often an “unofficial” version can be downloaded as a pdf file once you have been granted access by your college, or university. It is a good idea to obtain a copy of transcripts in advance of starting the job application process.
REFERENCES: Very often you will be asked to list references. Application forms will typically ask for the name of the person, how you know them, phone number, and email address. My suggestion is to build your references list in advance. Try to get names, and contact numbers of at least three former supervisors, and three to five other references.
START DATE: If you are not currently employed, specify today as your availability date. If you are currently employed state three weeks out as your earliest availability date. (Three weeks assumes one week to do inte3rviews, and two weeks’ notice to your current employer – which is standard notice.
HONEST & ACCURATE: I would never recommend to anyone to be dishonest, and thanks to the ever-increasing amount of personal information that is obtainable – all the more reason to be honest. Again, best practice is to put your best foot forward, while being truthful. Keep the information you input into the form accurate, and consistent. It will improve your chances to be selected for an interview.
REVIEW YOUR APPLICATION: Most job application systems allow you to review your completed application before you do the final submission. Read the application out loud to yourself. This will allow you to catch any omissions, or errors.
Gone are the days of number 2 pencils, and worrying about spelling. Online systems, usually accessed through the web, is the force that drives job application collection. With electronic job applications, accessed through the web, we gain convenience, and a more leisurely way to apply for a job. Along with greater convenience, we also gain the opportunity to take greater care in accuracy, and selling our education, skills, and experience. By utilizing a resume that includes powerful keywords, and by filling out the application accurately, and completely, including any transcripts that are requested, and providing five for more professional references, you will earn the edge over other less careful candidates, and improve your chances to be called in for the prized job interview.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC, CCC is a professional Career Coach, and Business Consultant. For more information see Ascendprocoach.com
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