Apply in the Right Way and you MIGHT land yourself a new job....

I love my job – helping link talent to opportunity is very fulfilling and I love it when candidates take the time to read my advertisements and respond in the right way.  There is nothing like flicking into a cover letter or a resume and seeing that someone has read the ad, thought about it and is really interested in the position.  A well written, spell checked resume that ticks all of the boxes is a joyful thing and so is a cover letter that addresses the key criteria.  You could almost say as a recruiter you get an adrenalin rush and you want to jump on the phone and interview them immediately!  And I don't mind if you address the criteria in your personal statement at the beginning of your resume - that makes sense to me too.

However, I have spent the majority of today working my way through resumes and I have been left feeling very deflated – again.

I advertised a bookkeeper/administration role at the beginning of this week and I have received over 120 applicants.  Now you would think that it should be an easy job to find at least a shortlist of three people from within that pool – how wrong could I be?  The ad was succinct – it clearly spelled out what I was looking for, the client was thrilled with how it represented the role and showcased their business.  

I have read every single cover letter and resume and here are some of the reasons the candidates were screened out:

• Spelling mistakes in the cover letter.
• Poorly written English.
• Cover letters that refer to a different job – you didn’t take the time to change the position or even write a targeted cover letter.
• You didn’t attach a cover letter and in your resume there is no professional statement that actually says who you are and what you are looking for.
• Applicants who are clearly very overqualified for the job – read the ad if it really isn’t what you want don’t waste time by applying.
• Check the location – if you live a long way away will you really cope with a commute that could take up to 2 hours each way every day?
• If you are only looking for part time work – don’t apply for a full time position unless it clearly states it in the ad.

Now you could say that I am being narrow minded but as a recruiter I am willing and able to think outside of the square and I still read every application.  If you are genuinely interested but don’t quite match the criteria a cover letter explaining who you are and what you could bring to the role will definitely make me consider you. 

You may not think it but I genuinely want you to get a job.   For the majority of the applicants and in this case it was 114 of them – you did nothing to inspire me to want to engage with you – you didn’t care enough to read the ad properly and you didn’t care enough to respond in the correct way.    

As an individual and a recruiter I truly feel that respect is a key component in the process – I respect you as a candidate and in return I expect you to respect me – take care to read the ad and reply appropriately – otherwise we all waste our time and energy.  Target the right job, not just any job and in the right way and you will at least get an interview.