A common source of dissatisfaction among job searchers is,
"Parthia, I applied to all of these companies but have yet to receive a response!" "What am I doing wrong?" you might wonder.
That's a wonderful question...and the answer is as PERSONALIZED AS IT GETS FOR YOU.
It's like if I walk into a room full of single people, and they all want me to tell them what they're doing "wrong" in terms of dating.
Because Ned almost never follows up after the initial date, most of the people he goes out to believe he isn't that interested in them. Allison grew raised in a family that never hugged, so she's extremely shy when it comes to personal contact and flirting. Depending on who is asking, the answers differ greatly!
You can understand why giving particular guidance to such a broad issue is difficult. Especially because what one person does incorrectly, another does absolutely well – and they both obtain the same results.
One person may be terrible at writing cover letters, while another may not even be aware that a cover letter is required when submitting a CV! Someone else may be completely oblivious to how to beat the ATS; yet another may have no notion what an *ATS is.
(*ATS stands for the applicant tracking system, and you are unlikely to receive many job interviews unless you understand how these pieces of software work in today's modern world.)
The best thing I can do is offer you the best general advice I can, and if you still need help, you can post your issue in the Refer Facebook Group, where we can all help you—what that's that community is for!
Now, there is one thing I must tell you before we begin... My mother worked as a schoolteacher. She tried so hard to teach me how to spell and use proper English, but now that I'm an adult, I couldn't care less. I do not believe it is a reliable indicator of life success—AT ALL! But, holy fricking crap, when it comes to looking for jobs, it is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT things you absolutely (no buts) must be paying attention to.
It is worthwhile to use spell check. It's smart to have someone else go over your work with a fine-tooth comb. Give in if you need to pay for Grammarly.
Your cover letter and CV are your tickets into the doors of opportunity, and if you don't put a lot of thought into them, why would anyone want to pay you top cash for your time if you can't spell their company name correctly?
Here are some of the most common mistakes I see people make when it comes to job applications:
The first blunder, You submitted an application but did not follow up.
Mistake #2: On paper, you sound generic.
Mistake No. 3 Before applying, you didn't do any research on the company.
Mistake #4: You didn't use powerful verbs and keywords.
Mistake #5: Your resume isn't properly formatted.
6th Error, Your CV did not match the job description.
#7 blunder You haven't measured your contributions to your current and former employers, and you haven't highlighted the ones that are most relevant to the job you're applying for.
#8 Mistake You only apply for positions for which you meet all the prerequisites.
#9 blunder You're "overqualified," and you didn't explain why you're applying for the job well enough.
#10th Error, You didn't tidy up the areas that needed to be cleaned! We're talking about things like social media, photos, email addresses, public data, personal websites, and more!
The first five will be covered today, and the remaining five will be covered next week!
The first blunder, You submitted an application but did not follow up.
Every résumé you put out should be followed upon. If they provide an email address for you to contact with inquiries in the job description, write them a quick and polite note asking if they received your application materials:
Greetings,
I just wanted to double-check that you received all of my application paperwork for the position at your organization.
Appreciatively,
"Your Name" is a phrase that means "you."
That seems pretty formal (obviously, vary the wording depending on the organization you're applying to and whether you've met the individual you're emailing).
Understand that they may be receiving numerous applications for not only that position, but also for other openings at their organization (meaning, give them 2-3 business days to respond to your "I'm following up on if you got my résumé" email).
I'd phone them if you haven't heard from them. Make a phone call to their main office secretary, or even better, their department secretary. Also, if contacting them via the contact information they supplied isn't working out, I recommend directly emailing the hiring manager — the key is to make the dialogue SHORT and SWEET.
So, let's say they respond, "Yes, we received your information." Thank you for applying; we'll contact you." Then it's been two weeks, and you haven't heard anything...
Reach out once more and say,
Hello,
I'm sure you've had a lot of interest in the post. If that's the case, I'm not surprised; it sounds like a fantastic opportunity!
I just wanted to check on the status of my application and see whether the post has been filled yet.
Thank you so much, and have a fantastic day!
"Your Name" is a phrase that means "you."
Mistake #2: On paper, you sound generic.
Okay, so I used the "dating" analogy at the beginning of this blog article, but we'll use it again now.
So, I've got a lot of single buddies who are out there dating. To be honest, I believe most of them have the right intentions–they are searching for someone stable who is willing to make a more long-term commitment and establish a future with them.
But the amusing part is that some of these friends are ready to judge a person based on something as basic (and foolish, in my opinion!) as the three phrases that person put about themselves on a dating app.
The point is, conversing with someone isn't the same as reading what they wrote on a piece of paper (or digital profile, resume, etc.)
BUT, with that said, if you sound TOTALLY BORING when writing about yourself (achievements, etc.) (and by boring, I mean you sound exactly like everyone else; you don't sound different or unique), people will not want to move forward with you – I'm talking about giving you the opportunity to interview (or, in my friend's case, get a date–which is a lot like an interview ha!).
"Parthia, I'm that BORING person on paper!" you might be thinking. YIKES! "How am I going to get out of this?"
"Your Name" is a phrase that means "you."
So, as for mistake #3, follow my advice of doing some research on the company. You will actually get a sense of their company's "character" (what their culture is like, the lingo they use on their website, blog, and social media).
This "character" should be included in the way you describe things on your cover letter and CV, in my opinion. GET SOME FEEDBACK AFTER THAT! Request that a buddy who is strong with language review your cover letter and resume and provide suggestions for further ways to improve your wording (adding a little extra spice).
"Your Name" is a phrase that means "you."
Have you ever watched the Food Network's, Emerald Ligases? Because he was so animated and lively, numerous people tuned in to his cooking show. "Let's turn it up a notch!" he would say. He meant it when he said it. (Watch that guy if you want to witness the polar opposite of boring!)
This is how you should approach your written word - KICK IT UP A NOTCH! And if writing doesn't come readily to you, seriously consider approaching a friend or someone who does. Find out what they think about the way you say things.
"Your Name" is a phrase that means "you."
Mistake No. 3 Before applying, you didn't do any research on the company.
There's a term I like to use when it comes to job hunting and applications: "snipping." That is, you should apply to the companies where you are most interested in working with a laser-like focus.
The vast majority of job searchers are "carpet bombs." When they come across decent opportunities that look interesting, they carpet bomb them, sending out 20 copies of the same resume to 20 different companies and waiting to hear back.
While this technique may have worked "well" for some people a few years ago, you now need to be more focused on your approach to applying in the modern and competitive world of looking for your next exciting employment opportunity. [I'll go over this in more detail in the next handful of tips/mistakes I go over (particularly, mistakes #4-6).]
This is what I mean by snipping: you examine the companies to learn about their company culture, goals, and general mission, as well as how they plan to accomplish it.
Then you think about how you might indicate that you want to be a part of it in the way you define yourself, your goals, and your accomplishments on your resume and cover letter.
In a YouTube video I made a few years ago, I discuss this. Everything I said about job applications and carpet bombing vs. snipping still holds true today! Take a look: Boost Your Chances of Getting the Job of Your Dreams.
4th Error, You aren't employing powerful verbs or keywords.
To return to the ATS notion (the applicant tracking system). Those things can be ruthless when it comes to matching applicants for jobs, assessing applications, and ranking them as "fits" for the job.
Some HR professionals will key in the job title from the job ad and select "search" so that they only have to look at applicants who have done the same job title before.
Alternatively, they may just "search" the "keywords," and if you don't have enough of them, you will be instantly eliminated as a candidate.
So, what exactly do I mean when I say "keywords"?
When reading the job description, make a note of all the talents and experience that are required. You should also mark any terms or phrases that appear more than once in the job description.
Now, whenever you're writing your CV, make sure to use those terms and phrases throughout. Not in a false sense, but because you know about and have done those things before.
Include classes if you are taking them but do not have a degree. Include it if you're working on certification but haven't finished it yet, and just type "in progress" or the date you'll have it by.
You want to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable about what you claim to be knowledgeable about.
Verbs
It's critical that you use the right words. Did you notice how I italicized the word "verb" — that's because it's SUPER IMPORTANT? Remember English class or those advertisements on television from a few years ago that taught us "Verb, it's what you do"? [*]
So, if you're a verb, what did you accomplish for your last employer? How well does it correspond to the job description?
If you really want to stand out, employ the verbs that the organization uses to describe the qualifications they're looking for in a new hire. The best action verbs are those that are in the past tense.
Use words and phrases like "team built, "led," "oversaw," "collaborated," and so on if a job description calls for team building and leadership expertise.
To match the suitable applicant with their company's job description, the ATS looks for the correct past-tense action verbs — so get ahead of it.
Use words and phrases like "team built," "led," "oversaw," "collaborated," and so on if a job description calls for team building and leadership expertise.
To match the suitable applicant with their company's job description, the ATS looks for the correct past-tense action verbs — so get ahead of it.
Mistake #5: Your resume isn't properly formatted (including too long)
If you don't have at LEAST seven years of professional experience for the position you're applying for, keep your resume to one page. Even then, unless it is a common procedure in that area, you should avoid sending multipage documents (such as jobs in academia).
The worst thing you can do is stuff your one-page resume with text till it explodes!
Get ahead of the game by matching the job description of the applicant with the job description of the organization.
Back in the day, I took an advertising class, and the lecturer told us that even in print advertising, a corporation pays the same amount for an ad even if the majority of it is just white space. This is known as "negative space" or "airspace" in painting. It's essentially the breathing room for a person's eyes to feel as if they can freely move around and navigate things visually.
This is something you should incorporate into your resume and cover letter. No one will want to read something that takes up the entire dang piece of paper with text. When we look at it here at HR, our eyes start to bleed.
A smarter strategy would be to choose a standard and legible typeface (fonts with serifs are the simplest for our eyes to naturally transition from word to word), so I'd go with Georgia, Times New Roman, and Gammon. If you want to be cool and use a San Serif font, go with a standard one like Helvetica, Arial, or Calibri.
Avoid font sizes smaller than 11 points, although keep in mind that some fonts appear small in the first place. The number 12 is widely accepted.
Avoid utilizing templates unless you're certain they're ATS-friendly. Because a lot of ATS software can't read them, your resume will be immediately rejected. Yikes! The best thing to do is to prepare your cover letter and resume in a conventional word processor and then export them as PDF files.
Also, keep in mind that your heading (the area where you insert your name and contact information) should be the same on both your resume and cover letter. Keeping aspects consistent helps people distinguish you from other prospects in their minds.
The "visual hierarchy" (or where a person's eyes naturally go on a page) will be determined by the language in which you deliver your papers. English is a top-to-bottom, left-to-right reading language. As a result, our eyes naturally begin at the top and move left on a page.
What is the significance of knowing this? Because this is a fairly standard procedure: Your application materials are scanned first by ATS. You pass the first obstacle, then an HR representative examines your application, and eventually if you're lucky, a recruiting manager.
The higher up the food chain you go, the less time they spend looking at your resume (in general, not always), therefore every second counts. So... place your most critical information in the regions where it is most likely to be viewed by the people you want to see it - the top and left sections. Another reason to avoid templates is that they come with all kinds of strange formatting suggestions. Personally, I prefer to see someone's most important talents first — either at the top or on the left side of the page.
To recap, we'll go over mistakes #6-10 next week! Begin by following the recommendations for the first five mistakes:
• You'll want to follow up on every job application you make.
- Try to incorporate your personal "flavor," as well as the "flavor" of the company, into your application materials.
*Learn about ATS's, so you can better follow the "rules" for getting your application (resume + cover letter + other application materials) through the checkpoints and to the top of the stack!
- You can do it!!
- Oh, and by the way... This and greater podcast stuff will be available shortly! So, don't forget to subscribe! Here's the Spotify link if you want to listen to it.
- Make it a memorable day,
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