Career Development Center at Lipscomb University: advice time...ONLINE APPLICATIONS
advice time...ONLINE APPLICATIONS
ONLINE APPLICATIONS are tricky! You spend so much time filling out info but feel like the answers are all on your resume only to never hear from the company and think your info went into a black hole in cyberspace.
Here are a few tips and tricks to increase your chances of getting a call from the company:
1. Pay attention to the wording on the job posting. Your online application and resume will be scanned for key words based on the job description. Use words and phrases from the job description posted by the company on your resume to increase your chances of having a good keyword match percentage.
2. Fill out every blank on the online application. Never say "see resume". Someone in HR can search on a specific field in the online app for a specific requirement of the job so make sure you answer everything completely and with their words (again see the job description).
3. If they give you an "option" to upload a cover letter, consider it mandatory! If 500 people apply for a job and only 15 upload a cover letter, don't you think it's better to be in the small stack? Make sure your cover letter is specific to the job you've applied for with this company. Consider WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM, not what you want!
4. In times like these when job openings can have hundreds of candidates some HR people say they don't even open a resume unless the keyword match is over 85%! The keyword match percentage will usually get you into the phone screen pile, but that's usually just with an HR person. To get to the manager you'll have to be articulate and leave the screener with no "red flags".
5. If you get past the phone screen, your resume will go to the hiring manager. Make sure your resume covers why you are the best candidate for that job! It needs to be tailored to the job you want (again see the job description). Don't assume because you covered certain info in the application that the manager will know that info!
Don't believe me? Check out these stories:
A candidate applied twice for a job he was totally qualified for and didn't understand why he never got a call about the job. He was using his own words on his resume and in his application. We reworked his app and resume USING THE WORDS IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION and he got a call and an interview for the job.
Another candidate uploaded a standard resume for a job, but filled out every line in the online app. She was a perfect candidate, but after making it through the phone screen and her resume going to the hiring manager, she didn't get an interview. Why? Because her resume went to the manager and didn't address the things that were most relevant to that position with that particular company.
Here are a few tips and tricks to increase your chances of getting a call from the company:
1. Pay attention to the wording on the job posting. Your online application and resume will be scanned for key words based on the job description. Use words and phrases from the job description posted by the company on your resume to increase your chances of having a good keyword match percentage.
2. Fill out every blank on the online application. Never say "see resume". Someone in HR can search on a specific field in the online app for a specific requirement of the job so make sure you answer everything completely and with their words (again see the job description).
3. If they give you an "option" to upload a cover letter, consider it mandatory! If 500 people apply for a job and only 15 upload a cover letter, don't you think it's better to be in the small stack? Make sure your cover letter is specific to the job you've applied for with this company. Consider WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM, not what you want!
4. In times like these when job openings can have hundreds of candidates some HR people say they don't even open a resume unless the keyword match is over 85%! The keyword match percentage will usually get you into the phone screen pile, but that's usually just with an HR person. To get to the manager you'll have to be articulate and leave the screener with no "red flags".
5. If you get past the phone screen, your resume will go to the hiring manager. Make sure your resume covers why you are the best candidate for that job! It needs to be tailored to the job you want (again see the job description). Don't assume because you covered certain info in the application that the manager will know that info!
Don't believe me? Check out these stories:
A candidate applied twice for a job he was totally qualified for and didn't understand why he never got a call about the job. He was using his own words on his resume and in his application. We reworked his app and resume USING THE WORDS IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION and he got a call and an interview for the job.
Another candidate uploaded a standard resume for a job, but filled out every line in the online app. She was a perfect candidate, but after making it through the phone screen and her resume going to the hiring manager, she didn't get an interview. Why? Because her resume went to the manager and didn't address the things that were most relevant to that position with that particular company.