You send out a few dozen resumes for jobs that you think are a perfect fit.
No response.
So you send out a few dozen more resumes and applications for jobs that you match up well with but not really.
Still no response.
Now you’re sending out resumes and applications to pretty much anyone willing to pay you to do almost anything.
And still no response. Some of those jobs would be lucky to hire a person like you. Jobs you don’t even really want aren’t calling you back. WTF?
Sound familiar?
Follow Directions and Get Paid
Amazingly enough one the most common reasons your job application gets placed in the circular file is because you didn’t follow the directions on the forms. Sounds crazy but its true.
This isn’t something new employers are using to trim down the increase in applications because of the economy. It’s because if you didn’t take the time to read and follow the directions then an employer is not going to spend time (and money) reading your application.
So what are some of the most common directions that job seekers miss?
- If the employer asks you to provide the last seven years of your work history they mean seven years. If you only provide six or six and a half, your application is toast.
- Not completely finishing the application is another immediate disqualification. I think the reason for this is self explanatory. If you don’t bother to even complete the application how valuable of an employee could you really be?
The main way your application will be considered incomplete isn’t because you blatantly didn’t finish the application. More often than not when your application is rejected as incomplete is because you have “See Resume” or something similar instead of the information that the form asked for. Some employers multiple forms asking for the same information over and over.
After the third time providing the same information on yet another form for the same job you might be tempted to take the “See Resume” shortcut. Most times when an employers application has several forms asking for the same information it’s because those forms go to different departments in the company.
When you put anything other than the information requested you’re adding an extra step in someone else’s job that might not have access to the form you are telling them to ‘see’. Not only that, what you are really saying is that you’re time is more important than they’re time so you didn’t bother to provide that information.
Don’t Waste Your (or My) Time
Human nature makes us seek the path of least resistance. Now that person could either reach for the phone and try to track down the information they need about you or stamp your application incomplete and move on to one of the other 70 applications on their desk. Which one do you think they will choose?
Those incomplete applications are likely the result of you submitting too many applications around the same time. It happens. Just remember you will have better results focusing on quality over quantity. Submitting too many applications at once leads to mistakes that eliminate you from consideration for the job right from the start.
This reminds me of a mistake I made a while ago. I was applying for jobs at local hotels. I did all the research, prepped my resume and cover letter then sent out about a dozen applications for my target job. I was shocked to see that after a week and a half that I didn’t even get one call back.
Luckily, I was able to figure out why I wasn’t getting any responses. In my rush to get all my applications in I failed to change the name of the hotels on the cover letters. So I sent 11 cover letters out with another hotel’s name on it. Needless to say I never got any of those positions.
Haste Makes Waste
When you rush through your job applications and resume submissions you make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that stop you from getting paid. You’re rushing through them because of the pressure you feel to find another job. Bills are piling up. The credit cards are maxing out. Food seems to cost more than ever at the supermarket.
So what do you do?
- Check and double check your applications before you send them out.
- If there’s something you don’t understand, ASK! Ask someone , anyone before you guess your way out of a job interview.
- Fully complete the application and make sure you get it in before the deadline if one exists. If your application is incomplete or late it’s trash. No questions asked.
- Remember that everyday you’re unemployed you are losing money that you normally be making if you were working.
Some of this may seem pretty basic to you and it is. But I see so many people submit applications who are just wasting both of our time by simply not following directions. Finding a job in this job market is hard enough. Don’t gift wrap reasons for an employer to reject your application.
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