Having been in the Recruitment Industry for many years we have dealt with thousands of job applications and therefore assure you that the article you are about to read is factual.

There is barely a Social Media site where you won’t find at least one individual complaining bitterly about the lack of work opportunities and Agency or Company responses of any kind to their submitted applications

It is time to highlight a few vital, repetitive and key errors, so many prospective candidates, seem determined to make.

Should you be serious about finding work, the following tips, will assist in your search for employment.

BACK TO BASICS:

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY:

• Personal Summary – Sounds simple enough, yet, in desperation, many resort to lying about their strengths: 80 % of CV’s I receive daily, state almost every characteristic listed below.

Example: hard-working; confident; a team player; determined; analytical; responsible; willing to work overtime; pay attention to detail; loyal; go the extra mile etc.

• Personally, I am not much of a team-player. Honestly, I prefer to work as an individual. I also don’t particularly enjoy being micro-managed, and though I do have a certain quality of determination to succeed – I wouldn’t class it as one of my strengths. I am a self-professed procrastinator who battles with prioritizing.

Qualifications:

• An “in-complete” qualification does not count as a completed qualification. (A car without an engine – remains a car without an engine, no matter how many times you try and drive it.)
• A Certificate or Diploma does not equal a Degree.
• A falsified qualification does equal disaster and surety of unemployment down the line. You are a fool if you believe otherwise.
• Don’t rob those who work 7 days a week to pay for their qualifications and study with what free time they have left, to be successful, by convincing yourself that experience always beats qualifications. If this were true, there would be no room for tertiary institutions in our society.

Employment History, Duties performed and Reasons for leaving:

You may be awarded the position by falsifying the above-mentioned, however, it is almost guaranteed that within a month or two, it will come to light that you have totally misrepresented yourself, and this is a fireable offense.

•  A sure way to be “marked” by prospective Hiring Managers as a non-employable candidate is to lie about your previous employers, employment dates and duties performed.
• Some of the most successful business people in the world have been fired from a position, or have been asked to leave as an alternative by a previous employer.
• No-one is perfect.
• Not everyone is able to fit into a specific environment
• Life happens!

If you know you are not suited for the position advertised – say so!

•  State on your application: “I would like to apply for future suitable positions”
• Provide a clear indication of future vacancies you want to be considered for.

 SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

•  *Newsflash*: U wll nt gt wrk bi submttng an abrev. cv
•  ‘Maths’ is not a subject; ‘&’ suggests laziness
•  Spelling errors: Suggests to the reader that your statement regarding “always pays attention to detail” and “computer literate”, are false.

In this age of technology, if you cannot use the “spell check” function, you simply cannot classify yourself as “computer literate”- full stop!

IT IS NOT THE HIRING MANAGERS’ JOB, TO GUESS!

• Ensure that you stipulate the position you are applying for on a written and telephonic application.
• 50% of the CV’s received by our agency daily, have blank subject lines and no introduction.
• 35% simply state “Applying for advertised vacancy”
• 15% of all applications received have either no contact details, incorrect contact details, no specified area of residence, and amazingly enough, no applicant names.

More than 60% of CV’s received do not reflect the following essential information:

• Position applied for
• Job titles
• Employer details
• Valid employment dates
• Duties performed
• Contactable references
• Qualifications
• Reasons for leaving

TELEPHONIC APPLICATION TIPS:

• Always introduce yourself, it is rude to insist on speaking to the relevant person and in turn not inform them as to whom they are speaking to
• Sound alive!!! No-one wants to hire someone who sounds as if their entire world has collapsed or that they have just woken up from a deep sleep.
  • If you are not feeling up to it – wait until you feel better and more confident.
• Stand up when making the call – it tricks the brain into believing you have a mental confidence advantage.
• Know what the advertised essential requirements and qualifications are, before making the call
• Make sure you take down the Hiring Manager’s details correctly

DO YOUR RESEARCH:

• Most companies nowadays, have a website. Put in some effort by doing some research on the company you are applying to.
• Research may indicate that the company is based in an area or have a company vision, work ethics or environment, that does not conform to your requirements
• Research will allow for interesting conversation and provide you with something more original, when posed with the question: “Do you have any queries regarding the position or company, before we conclude the interview”
• Knowledge is power.

BE TRUE TO YOURSELF!

• There is an old saying, “Every skew pot has a skew lid.”
• Don’t give up!
• Stay positive – Life mirrors what you portray and the energy you project
• You are unique, understand that this can be your strongest asset

Author: M.N. Abbott – Doncour Recruitment