This summer I was on the other side of the job application process for the first time. To be honest, I was appalled with the majority of poor and out right bad applications. At first I thought something was wrong until my coworker conformed the very same phenomenon for the completely different types of positions.
Read and Digest the Job Description
It was only a year ago that I was job searching and I know it is frustrating when the job description is maximum of three sentences. But, we wrote a job description that filled a letter size piece of paper. Although we were unable to post the full job description in the newspaper, the full description was on our website and variety of other places. There really is no excuse for not reading the full description, but people with out a doubt did not read it. The simple ways, and how long it take me to spot it, I could tell they did not read it:
- 5 seconds. They did not providing all of the asked material: a resume, cover letter, and a portfolio (they had to at least mention their portfolio exist).
- 20 seconds. Their objective was generic.
- 25 seconds. Their cover letter was generic.
- 35 seconds. Their cover letter paints the picture of them in a totally different position.
The Design and Format of the Resume and Cover Letter
The design, format, and the applicants’ backgrounds were all looked at together. Since the background of the applicants varied from graphic designs majors to computer science majors, I considered how those affected their decisions about the design and format.
If they had a graphic design background, then they have better craft a design for the cover letter and resume. It needs to be designed better than the easy to find sample cover letter and resume. For the format, I was looking for a PDF and not a Word document.
If they had a computer science background, I was fine with the design being similar to but not the same as the commonly found samples. As for the format, a PDF or plain text is good; a Word is acceptable but do not I appreciated it.
One more comment: just because Word can do outlines, drop shadows, and more does not mean it needs to be done!
The Content of the Cover Letter
A simple list of what I am and am not looking for:
- Tell where you heard about the position because it may get you some bonus points.
- Since I work at a non-profit, I want to know you support the cause.
- Show that you understand what the position is asking for.
- No buzz words please.
- No two page cover letters.
- Refer back to a particular portion of the position description.
The Content of the Resume
There is so much advice and information regarding how to write a resume which is why I am not bothering with it. Except for one thing, customize your resume to fit the position description (this will take you less than ten minutes).
The Email
We instructed people to email us their application. This is the very first thing I saw. So yet another list:
- The subject needs to contain the title of the position.
- Write in a formal style. This means do not write it in all lowercase and do use proper punctuation among many other things.
- List what you are attaching.
- Reiterate in the email body the position you are applying for.
- Add your contact information.
The Interview
I do not have an overall philosophy on the interview process but I have my list regarding the interview:
- Showing up awkwardly early (more than 10 minutes) is a no-no. If you find yourself awkwardly early to the place, kill time outside.
- Bring quarters if you are parking on a metered street instead of asking my coworkers to break a dollar.
- Assume that everyone in the building is observing you and making judgments about working with you.
- If you tell me I do something wrong, then you better be able to back it up.
- Do not tell me you want the position because of the benefits.
- Spend at least fifteen minutes before the interview researching us. You have the Internet for this.
It closing, assume that everything you write, say, and act will be judged.
>>Tell where you heard about the position because it may get you some bonus points.
some helpful (out of our desperation) websites recommend mentioning where we saw the job description: I suppose, on the processing side, some organizations may keep statistics on which as work best. Agreed about the bonus points though.
I came in to this specific interview expecting a harder grilling then everyone else gets8-)
>>Word is acceptable but…
Also very true. However, some places specifically ask for a Word doc resume. Perhaps, these are the places we should promptly cross off our job-hunting list. Can Word make clean PDFs? Not all CompSci majors (in my guesstimation) have the Adobe soft that most people use for the PDF resumes.
>>List what you are attaching.
Very good point. Usually, the generic letters go something like “my resume is attached” - but the portfolio is mentioned two paragraphs back. Perhaps, a list at the end of the letter would make it easier to sift through the many applications.
>>Showing up awkwardly early (more than 10 minutes) is a no-no. If you find yourself awkwardly >>early to the place, kill time outside.
Did that! I was there a bit over 15 min. early, and I still did not finish the paper form in that extra time.
>>Do not tell me you want the position because of the benefits.
This is great! That person was honest, even if a bit too straightforward.
I believe I said something like “I want this position ALSO because of the certain benefits (conferences and magazines and education) which show you guys care about web designers.”
**In closing, one of my personal quirks:
if the job calls for meticulous typography, one of the easy things to do is spell out résumé. I am pretty sure that this is easily noticed by the reviewers, and if you’re a type fanatic anyways, it should give you a warm fuzzy feeling as well.
Of course nothing here is really black and white nor are they all as important, you need to always use your common sense.
As for the benefits, it depends on how it is framed. If you start off saying you want the job because you need health insurance, this is not a good strategy. Although if you mention that you want the job because the place values its employees as shown by the benefits, this is a far better strategy.
> This summer I was on the other side of the job application process for the first time. To be honest, I was appalled with the majority of poor and out right bad applications. At first I thought something was wrong until my coworker conformed the very same phenomenon for the completely different types of positions. Read and Digest the Job Description
Burp, fart, belch.
> It was only a year ago that I was job searching and I know it is frustrating when the job description is maximum of three sentences. But, we wrote a job description that filled a letter size piece of paper. Although we were unable to post the full job description in the newspaper, the full description was on our website and variety of other places. There really is no excuse for not reading the full description, but people with out a doubt did not read it. The simple ways, and how long it take me to spot it, I could tell they did not read it:
1. 5 seconds. They did not providing all of the asked material: a resume, cover letter, and a portfolio (they had to at least mention their portfolio exist). 2. 20 seconds. Their objective was generic.
Some people/authors have suggested that objectives aren’t required anyway.
> 3. 25 seconds. Their cover letter was generic.
That could be seen as smart by some prospective employers. In any case, define ‘generic’. If “generic” covers more background and skills than what an advertised position would necessarily require, that’s a potential bonus.
> 4. 35 seconds. Their cover letter paints the picture of them in a totally different position. The Design and Format of the Resume and Cover Letter
The design, format, and the applicants’ backgrounds were all looked at together. Since the background of the applicants varied from graphic designs majors to computer science majors, I considered how those effected their decisions about the design and format.
If they had a graphic design background, then they have better craft a design for the cover letter and resume. It needs to be designed better than the easy to find sample cover letter and resume. For the format, I was looking for a PDF and not a Word document. If they had a computer science background, I was fine with the design being similar to but not the same as the commonly found samples. As for the format, a PDF or plain text is good; a Word is acceptable but do not I appreciated it. One more comment: just because Word can do outlines, drop shadows, and more does not mean it needs to be done! The Content of the Resume
There is so much advice and information regarding how to write a resume which is why I am not bothering with it. Except for one thing, customize your resume to fit the position description (this will take you less than ten minutes). I do not have an overall philosophy on the interview process but I have my list regarding the interview:
1. Showing up awkwardly early (more than 10 minutes) is a no-no. If you find yourself awkwardly early to the place, kill time outside. 2. Bring quarters if you are parking on a metered street instead of asking my coworkers to break a dollar. 3. Assume that everyone in the building is observing you and making judgments about working with you. 5. Do not tell me you want the position because of the benefits.
Why not if it’s sincere and uncontrived? Nothing like a little genuine sincerity in a world with enough insincerity to go around.
As a sharp employer, one could even leverage the answer and ask what it is about the benefits that hold their interest. Some answers can be enlightening, insightful, unexpected and beneficial to the employer and community within which it exists. Yes, that’s right:
*The community within which the business exists, and without which it could not.*
And that includes the prospective employee who could one day be on the other side of the decision-making process.
> 6. Spend at least fifteen minutes before the interview researching us. You have the Internet for this.
Oh if only every single employer felt that every single employer were worth that kind of time. The employer has a job too and much more of one than what many seem to think… My mind just wandered to Enron for some reason.
Anyway, make yourself worth researching for even 5 minutes.
> It closing, assume that everything you write, say, and act will be judged.
Exactly, Seamus.
Nice post, my one addition would be for technical phone interviews. I am a web designer for an insurance company and we were hiring an asp.net programmer for a project. Some of the interviews were awful, my observations:
long pauses between a question and an answer: on the phone I can’t see your facial expression so I don’t know why there is silence, I usually interpreted this as confusion or lack of knowledge, at least say, give me a second to think about that or admit that it caught you off guard and you would like to come back to that question in a couple minutes
odd background noises: we had one person driving a car, one other with a dog barking in the background and another call get dropped (cell phone) my advice is make sure you are in a quiet room where you will not be disturbed and your phone call will not be interrupted
punctuality: be available a few minutes before and after the set interview time, voicemail is not going to get you a job
You seem insistent that applicants spend time getting everything prefect for you, which I’ll agree is a good idea, but then you misuse affect/effect and give us this gem:
“5. Add you contact information.”
Just sayin’
@Dan
The irony and shame on me.
This is the reason I have the pickiest proof readers I know comb my job application material before sending it. I know I have a bad habit of swapping similar sounding words or omitting words. It is also the reason I never submit application material late at night when I am prone to make more mistakes.
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