Applying for a job is an important step in the hiring process. Your application shows your interest in the job and informs the employer of your relevant skills and experience.
Knowing how to complete a job application well can have significant impact on your chances of receiving an interview invitation.
In this article, we explore some steps and suggestions for how to successfully complete and submit a job application.
Reading the job application may seem like an obvious step but people frequently skip it. Even if you scanned the job description before you decided to apply, it is still a great idea to go back and read it several times to make sure you did not miss any details.
Employers always receive much applications for a position. One of the most common methods they will use to narrow the applicant pool is to eliminate anyone who they think did not read the job description or requirements.
It is important to note that most employers also use something known as an applicant tracking system (ATS).
This is an automated system that can be fine-tuned to reject applications that are missing information or do not have the right keywords.
Even though you may not be able to completely predict what the ATS is looking for, you can still advance your application in the system by making sure to include the correct information.
Refining your writing style will improve the quality of your application. Employers are looking for confident applicants who can convince them of their capabilities – demonstrate your suitability by giving short, to the point and positive answers.
You should also:
Ask somebody else, such as a career adviser, parent or friend, to read through your application form. A second pair of eyes will help pick out errors that you may not have spotted.
Employers often disqualify an applicant for having an unprofessional email, even if the rest of their resume shows they are perfect for the job.
If you need to create a professional email address, you may want to use a free email service to create an email account that you will use specifically for your professional life.
Use your name combination or a variant and use it for all your job applications. It is never a bad idea to separate work communication from personal communication.
Something as simple as your email address can turn off an employer. In today’s competitive job market, you need to give yourself every possible advantage – start with having an email address that is professional.
There are both good practices to follow and bad practices to avoid. Just as your resume represents you, so does your email address.
Sometimes a question calls for a full paragraph, a couple sentences or just a “yes” or “no”. There are also fields that require you to spend some time answering in-depth questions.
Regardless of what the specific questions requires, make sure you are answering it correctly. Read the question a couple times to make sure you understand and take some time to formulate a perfect answer.
There are employers who ask a variety of types of questions, including character, behaviour. If you want to increase your chances of sucess, you need to respond to these questions effectively and accurately.
Not all applications will include long answer questions , but it never hurts to adhere closely to instructions.
Taking care while filling out the information demonstrates to an employer that you are a worthy candidate for the job.Remember to keep careful track all your application, so you know where you have applied to, in order to create a quick reference.
Sometimes, you might find that you qualify for multiple roles by different people. It is always a good idea to know exactly what someone is talking about when they call concerning an interview.
The world is said to be a global village and have been made even smaller with gadgets it is common for employers to look at your social media profiles. They want to know something about the person they are hiring and they feel that Facebook and other social media sites are good sources.
Go over your profiles and consider removing anything objectionable.
That means deleting posts or comments that might not reflect well on you or that do not represent your current maturity level. It is always a good idea to be aware of and control the image of yourself online.
It is still advisable to create a social media profile in your name and to share some personal information, even if you do not use it often. Familiarity and proficiency with social media is an important skill in the job market today and employers may check your personal accounts to judge your competence
It may seem counter intuitive to submit the resume after you have entered all the information it contains into fields on the application.
However, the applicant tracking system typically does not collect the information you have provided into a printable document and the employer may want to have a paper copy of your resume for reference.
Resumes are also easy for the hiring manager to file in case they decide to contact you about a job opening at a later date.
Make sure to name your resume file concisely and efficiently. Include your first and last name or with a keyword “resume” for easy searching. You have high chances of getting the job when all of the above in place.
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