This Is How You Apply For A Job!?!?!?

There are so many people trying to find/start a career.  The majority of them are fully capable of performing the positions they are applying for.  I was pondering on why many are having problems gaining employment.  From my long experience in finding top talent, here are the road-blocks I see for these folks receiving an interview, much less an offer letter:

o   Seeking Employment
This is the hard part.

ü  On-line job boards:  Indeed.com, Glassdoor.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com are the biggest and the best.

ü  LinkedIn.com is a great place to search/post

ü  Local papers

ü  Craigslist (believe it or not)

ü  Company websites often have a “Careers” page where you can search opportunities and submit

ü  Though companies still accept hand-delivered resumes, most prefer on-line submissions.

o   Submitting Resume’s without a Cover Letter, or a poorly crafted Cover Letter.
Here’s an example (verbatim cut/paste) of one I just received:
“I know I don't have many qualifications for your position, but I am will to learn. I an a fast learner, and very outgoing, I will push to be better, and if given the chance I believe I would be a great asset to your business. I like to hear from you, and be given the opportunity to show you that with, slight training, their is no one better fit for your company.”
What HR or Recruiter is going to respond to that???
Many that I receive have no Cover Letter at all.

ü  Add a Cover Letter as a general summary of what you're after and why you are the best person for the role

ü  Understand that grammar and proper spelling are of the highest importance

ü  If you’re applying for multiple positions with different businesses, be sure to update the information in the letter to be specific for the position and the company.  Don’t state, “…seeking a position as a Bank Teller…” when applying for something in the health industry (yes, I got exactly that this week).

o   Resume’s
I can’t tell you how often I receive a resume for a position and the person submitting has ZERO experience for the position.  One example recently I have is for someone looking to fill my open Finance Manager position.  Reviewing the resume, there was not the first reference to any financial background of any kind, nor any involvement in even the smallest way with even some type of financial bookkeeping or related activities.  Then I receive additional resume’s from the same person for everything I have open.  This is blatant that this person is strictly looking for work – any work – and most employers are not looking for “top talent” from this pool of unemployed.
On top of this, resume’s full of mis-spelling, bad grammar, missing employment time periods, and copy/pasted details from job-to-job are red flags and typically don’t get a person any follow-up other than that “thanks but no thanks” e-mail.

ü  Make sure you're using a good e-mail address in your resume. Recruiters notice this type stuff. I've actually seen bobsfourthwife@example.com as the e-mail address to use. UGH! Act professional and use a worthy e-mail address.
ü Submit for only what you’re capable of doing
ü  Submit your resume as a .pdf document, this comes off more professional. Don't simply provide a word document.
ü  Properly name the document. Don't submit "resume.pdf". Your resume often goes into a folder with dozens or even hundreds of others. Be creative even here and stand out from the crowd.
ü  Understand that most employers are willing to train, but not to the extent that it consumes all their time (no babysitting!!!)
ü  Accurate spelling, grammar and no missing time periods are a must
ü  Keep the resume short – absolutely no more than three pages (one friend of mine who does a lot of hiring refuses anything over one page long).  I recently received a fifteen page resume.
ü  If you don’t know how to create a Cover Letter and/or Resume, do some homework and search on-line.  There a literally hundreds of sites that help and/or provide examples.

o   Communication with the Potential Employer
Constant phone calls, e-mails or verbal message relays sent by current employee’s do not help someone get in for the interview process.  In fact, it often creates the opposite effect.  Don’t call, e-mail and send messages constantly.  If the employer is interested because they’ve seen a compelling Cover Letter and Resume, they will be sure to reach out.  The same holds true for after the interview.

ü  Submit a compelling Cover Letter & Resume and let your accomplishments/experience do the talking for you.

o   Interviewing
Way too many horror stories to post here, so I’ll get straight to the advice:

ü  DRESS APPROPRIATELY!!!!  If you were not provided the proper attire during the interview invite, ASK!

ü  DON’T BE NERVOUS.  Employer’s want to see the real you.  So many people fail to gain employment for this simple reason alone because they come off un-excited, lack of communication skills, un-able to think on their feet, etc., etc.

ü  LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE IN YOUR VEHICLE!  You can’t take any calls or messages during the interview, so why create the embarrassment of having your device go off during the interview.  Though the person interviewing you might state it’s alright if you forget this and it happens, it’s not.

ü  Always be sure that you SHOW UP ON TIME! Don't be too early and never, ever be late. If you're late, don't even bother to go in - you're already doomed. The rule-of-thumb for this is be about ten minutes early.

ü  KNOW THE BUSINESS!  You should have done your homework about the company you’re trying to go to work with.  When asked, “Who are we and what do we do?”  Answer!  With the correct answer!!!

ü  You provided a resume which got you this far.  The resume was your bragging sheet.  COME PREPARED to prove what you wrote.

ü  An interview is going to be somewhat difficult.  Companies are looking to hire the best talent they can get.  You're going to be presented with challenging questions - not necessarily looking for the right answer, but to see how you think-on-your-feet. So, be mentally prepared for questions to be challenging.  NEVER HAVE A DEER-IN-THE-HEADLIGHTS-LOOK when asked a question.

ü  NEVER LIE!  It’s obvious.

ü  ASK GREAT QUESTIONS!  Sometime during the interview, you’ll be asked, “Do you have any questions?”  Employers mentally move those who ask great questions up in their finalizing candidates list.  Asking about salary and benefits are NOT great questions.  That’s what everyone asks…which makes it seem like your attempt to join the team is simply, selfishly motivated.  There’s more to a career than that, and a company looking for top talent isn’t impressed by that.  What are great questions?  Here are some examples:

Ø  “Is this a new position?  If not, what did the previous employee in this position move on to and why?”

Ø  “Is there room for advancement?”

Ø  “When can I expect to hear back from you?”

Ø  “Is there anything else I should know about the position?”

ü  If you’re attending an interview via phone call, DON’T HAVE DISTRACTIONS.  Children/animal/road noises in the back-ground are extremely frustrating. You don’t need to add frustrations in an interview.  If you’re on a cell phone, make absolutely sure you have great signal coverage.  There’s little worse than fading in and out of signal with the person interviewing you, who’s time is extremely important.  Failure in any of these comes off as a lack of preparation on your part, which translates to your potential employer as how you’ll conduct business with them.  Not good.

ü  PROVIDE REFERENCES at this time.  Don’t wait to be asked.  No family/relatives, close friends or your pastor in your references.

ü  PROVIDE TESTIMONIALS.  Nothing makes more of an impression than at the end of the interview handing over three-to-six testimonials from past employers, vendor partners and/or clients.  Want to get noticed? Do this.

ü  If you really want to impress during your interview:  Before you leave, also PROVIDE 30-, 60- and 90-day GOALS outline of what you want to accomplish when you get the position.  Major WOW! factor!

ü  Finally – BE EXCITED!  HR and Recruiters want to talk with people who are excited about the opportunity.  I’ve not moved people to the next level before because of lack of excitement on their part.

o   Some More Pointers
-    Have a LinkedIn.com account.  Even though you submitted a resume, 
      employers are searching for a LinkedIn account too in order to see what business
      groups you’re associated with, how many on-line recommendations you have,
      and many other items that LinkedIn offers.

-        Be absolutely aware that employers are web stalking you.  Your social media pages are, for the most part, viewable to the world.  All your party-animal posts, all your ex-employer slams, all those wild and crazy pictures you thought no one would ever see are in fact seen, and helps to paint a picture of whether you’re the right fit for a company.

-        Due to HIPAA rules, CPNA, Homeland Security, etc., etc., know up-front that there is going to be a background check.  Unfortunately sometimes our mistakes from the past catch up with us and cause problems.  Be aware that a back-ground check is most likely going to happen and could potentially cause issues.  This is dependent on the business/industry as to whether it will be a road-block to employment or small bump in the road.

-       Ask to “shadow” someone at the company in the role you’re applying for if you’re being seriously considered for the position.  It’s in the best interest of everyone involved that you fully understand the role and expectations.  You, nor the company, wants to go through a lengthy on-boarding process and investment in time/energy/finances only to find out you don’t like the position and/or will not be successful in it.

I’m sure there are more, but this is the VERY BASICS of what someone seeking employment show KNOW AND DO.  When you don’t have a job, your full-time job is finding a job.  Be great at that too!

I hope this was of value if you're seeking employment.  Best wishes to you!