As a result of very poor quality in some of the applications we receive from mainly younger candidates, I feel a need to write about some of the things that may help in improving these applications.
The reality of the job market at the moment is that it is very competitive — there are many more applicants than there are positions.
And as most job application happen via online applications you need to be aware of a few things.
1. DO NOT write in text speak or SMS type language. When sending an email enquiry or job application, please use correct grammar and punctuation.
Make sure you use spell check on your email. For the majority of recruitment companies or HR staff, they will not be impressed receiving applications not written in sensible English.
2. Resume Presentation. Please use a simple and easy to read format for your resume.
There are many on-line templates you can use for resumes.
The idea of a resume is to give the person reviewing it an overview of what you have done in work, education, volunteering etc.
Do include your personal details, including address, phone and email. Please use date and time periods in your work history and indicate if jobs have been casual, part time or full time.
If there are gaps in your employment history please explain them — eg travel, fulltime study, looking for work, etc.
Do not use elaborate headings, cover pages, borders, graphics and fancy fonts. A resume should preferably be no more than 3-4 pages long.
3. Cover Letter. If a job ad asks for a cover letter, please include one. I would also recommend that most applicants should supply a cover letter, even if the ad does not specify for it.
The general reason you write a cover letter is to complement your resume. The resume is generally a factual view of you- your contact details, education, work history, community involvement etc.
The cover letter is really where you target your application to a specific advertisement. You highlight your personal skills, work history etc that is relevant for this job.
The cover letter is where your personality should shine through. It is where you can sell yourself to the potential employer.
Even if you have limited work experience, you may be able to highlight other aspects that could be relevant. If you have recently left school it might be involvement in extra activities at school — drama, sport, organising school socials, etc.
If you are returning to the workforce after raising children, it might be your involvement with assisting in classrooms, children’s sporting clubs, and community volunteering, etc.
Many of the skills applicable in the workforce are social skills, and showing your various experiences can highlight you as ‘standing out’ from the crowd of other job applicants.
If you follow some of these ideas it should improve your success rate on getting employers and recruitment companies to seriously consider you as a suitable job applicant for their role.
