by Rachel Smith
13 July 2016
Thanks for your post on Friday to job-posters and what constitutes a good ad. You made some excellent points but now I’m wondering, what constitutes a good job application? One that will make those job-posters sit up and take notice? L
I’m glad you asked. I’ve seen a fair few job applications in my time and I have to say, most just fly under the radar. They’re not bad or anything, but they’re bland. They’re cliche-ridden and kinda boring. Even as a professional writer, I think it can be hard to nail that shiny, look-at-me tone, but some do. And they do some (or all) of the things below.
1. Get the grammar and spelling right. Seriously, I have looked over job applications for people and they’ve spelt a word wrong in ‘I have great attention to detail’. Err, no you don’t. Read it aloud, print it out, get someone else to proof it for you, but don’t let a single typo sneak through.
2. Be funny. Some job ads (we had one recently calling for a funny copywriter) demand it, of course, but if you can weave a funny one-liner or a joke into your impeccably written cover letter/email, do it. Those little nuggets of gold make you memorable and may get you over the line into the short list.
3. Be personable. A cover letter or email that states, ‘Interested in your job. CV attached’ is just lazy and shows you’ve actually given zero effort in connecting with the person who may well be hiring you. At least craft a personable, friendly, professional paragraph to go along with your CV.
4. Don’t include your predecessor’s death certificate with your application. Never a good look.
5. Woo them a little. Yep, I know we asked the company to write ads with what they could offer the job-seeker, but it goes both ways. So instead of loading your cover letter with cliches and boring laundry lists of qualifications, tell them WHY the job interests you. Why you’re passionate about doing it. Why you’d walk over hot coals to work for them. Okay, that may be overdoing it, but you get where I’m going with that.
6. Show you can deliver. If only it was as easy as writing, ‘I am awesome, throw all other applications in the bin and hire me immediately’, but it’s not. You actually need to sell why you can do the job. “Three years as feature director on Vogue makes me an ideal candidate for XYZ, because…” or “During my time as Horse and Hound’s social media manager, I grew their Twitter and Facebook platforms by 300 percent…”.
7. Address it to a person. I know this is hard. I know a lot of job-posters who list with us don’t include their name or give you a vague email to apply to. But if you’re industrious, you can find a name – and you should. Ring the company, ask who deals with hiring. Or put your researcher’s hat on, zip over to LinkedIn and search out the company. Find the hiring manager or an editor or manager who you think is probably relevant to the role and address it to a name. Never address it ‘to whom it may concern’.
Got any top tips on getting your job applications over the line? Share below!
