Tips for applying for/ finding a job
So it seems that quite a few of my friends are either:
A. Just getting out of college and trying to find their first real job.
or
B. Sick of their current job and trying to find their first real job. ;)
So I thought I would write a bit and talk about the things I did when I was looking for a job.
First and most important before you even start to look for a job is you better have a damn good resume and a cover letter. Why? Because that is what is going to get your foot in the door. That resume and cover letter is all the future employer is going to know about you before you show up for that job interview - so make it look good. I would suggest going out and getting a few books on resume / cover letter tips. I went to the library and picked up 3 or 4 books, and it was very helpful - I suggest you do the same!
ALWAYS send a cover letter with your resume. It will give you a chance to describe what you want and why you think you should get this job. When writing your cover letters have it drip with confidence and wow them. You are also going to want to have one general generic cover letter, but always personalize the cover letter to that specific position. State the position you are applying for in the cover letter and how your experience best fits you for this position. This is your job and why you are perfect for it. Make sure the cover letter and your resume are each 1 page long. Fix the margins so it fits. You are going to end up writing a lot of cover letters because each place you apply to is going to be a bit different, stress something in one, something different in another.
Sign your cover letters with a pen. If you are going to be emailing it, scan in your signature as a black and white image and put it on all your cover letters. Everyone knows it’s not exactly your signature, but works.... If you send your cover letters/resumes out as a PDF most people can’t tell that you didn’t sign it and scan the document.
There are pros and cons for sending your resume out as word documents and PDF files. I always made sure to find out what type/format they would like it in, and in situations where I wasn’t sure I sent both a word doc and a PDF.
When you are using a website like CarreerBuilder or Monster or something like that, you can post your resume on the site if you want, but I was always paranoid people would just farm my information out of it. Feel free to take the risk if you like. When you DO find a job that you like on those sites, don’t go through Monster or CB to submit your resume. Actually go to the employer's website and find out who you need to send it to through that website - unless it actually lists it in the Monster/CB ad, then I would probably send it to them :)
If the job you are applying for isn’t on the company's website but it IS on CB/M website, send it in anyways. Maybe they filled the position, maybe they are interviewing... maybe they are done interviewing and didn’t find anyone who would fit the job. Whatever the case send in your resume anyways, the worst they can say is no, and if they did fill the position they have your resume on file for future jobs.
So you find a job and it sounds super interesting and you are like wow this is the type of job I want! But then you look at the qualifications and it’s like damn, I don’t meet those :(.... Who cares if you don’t meet them, or even come close to meeting most of them? You have to realize that when they list the qualifications for jobs, that those are the qualifications of the perfect person for this job, the idealistic candidate. If they could have everything they wanted in a person who applied for this job, that’s the skills/education/whatever that person would have. Highly unreasonable? of course. But then the business doesn’t care if that person does show up - great they have the perfect person. Most if not all of the candidates who are applying for that position are not going to have all of the educational/skills/experience that are required, and you shouldn't worry about not having all of them as well. You are going to spend months to years looking for a job that you can meet all the qualifications for that is something you want. Go out on the limb and apply for those jobs you don’t meet all the qualifications for. Again the worst they can say is no.
I would always call up the place I submitted my resume/cl to after a week or two if I had not heard back from them and ask if they had received my resume for the position of x, and if they had when could I set up a time to come for the interview. Yeah it sounds a little weird, but it’s showing the people who are hiring that you are interested in this position and you just didn’t send out a million resumes/cl to everywhere hoping to get one of those jobs.
Remember that the cover letter and the resume are just to get your foot in the door, to wow them or at least interests them in yourself, to show them you have what it takes and that you deserve an interview with the company.
A. Just getting out of college and trying to find their first real job.
or
B. Sick of their current job and trying to find their first real job. ;)
So I thought I would write a bit and talk about the things I did when I was looking for a job.
First and most important before you even start to look for a job is you better have a damn good resume and a cover letter. Why? Because that is what is going to get your foot in the door. That resume and cover letter is all the future employer is going to know about you before you show up for that job interview - so make it look good. I would suggest going out and getting a few books on resume / cover letter tips. I went to the library and picked up 3 or 4 books, and it was very helpful - I suggest you do the same!
ALWAYS send a cover letter with your resume. It will give you a chance to describe what you want and why you think you should get this job. When writing your cover letters have it drip with confidence and wow them. You are also going to want to have one general generic cover letter, but always personalize the cover letter to that specific position. State the position you are applying for in the cover letter and how your experience best fits you for this position. This is your job and why you are perfect for it. Make sure the cover letter and your resume are each 1 page long. Fix the margins so it fits. You are going to end up writing a lot of cover letters because each place you apply to is going to be a bit different, stress something in one, something different in another.
Sign your cover letters with a pen. If you are going to be emailing it, scan in your signature as a black and white image and put it on all your cover letters. Everyone knows it’s not exactly your signature, but works.... If you send your cover letters/resumes out as a PDF most people can’t tell that you didn’t sign it and scan the document.
There are pros and cons for sending your resume out as word documents and PDF files. I always made sure to find out what type/format they would like it in, and in situations where I wasn’t sure I sent both a word doc and a PDF.
When you are using a website like CarreerBuilder or Monster or something like that, you can post your resume on the site if you want, but I was always paranoid people would just farm my information out of it. Feel free to take the risk if you like. When you DO find a job that you like on those sites, don’t go through Monster or CB to submit your resume. Actually go to the employer's website and find out who you need to send it to through that website - unless it actually lists it in the Monster/CB ad, then I would probably send it to them :)
If the job you are applying for isn’t on the company's website but it IS on CB/M website, send it in anyways. Maybe they filled the position, maybe they are interviewing... maybe they are done interviewing and didn’t find anyone who would fit the job. Whatever the case send in your resume anyways, the worst they can say is no, and if they did fill the position they have your resume on file for future jobs.
So you find a job and it sounds super interesting and you are like wow this is the type of job I want! But then you look at the qualifications and it’s like damn, I don’t meet those :(.... Who cares if you don’t meet them, or even come close to meeting most of them? You have to realize that when they list the qualifications for jobs, that those are the qualifications of the perfect person for this job, the idealistic candidate. If they could have everything they wanted in a person who applied for this job, that’s the skills/education/whatever that person would have. Highly unreasonable? of course. But then the business doesn’t care if that person does show up - great they have the perfect person. Most if not all of the candidates who are applying for that position are not going to have all of the educational/skills/experience that are required, and you shouldn't worry about not having all of them as well. You are going to spend months to years looking for a job that you can meet all the qualifications for that is something you want. Go out on the limb and apply for those jobs you don’t meet all the qualifications for. Again the worst they can say is no.
I would always call up the place I submitted my resume/cl to after a week or two if I had not heard back from them and ask if they had received my resume for the position of x, and if they had when could I set up a time to come for the interview. Yeah it sounds a little weird, but it’s showing the people who are hiring that you are interested in this position and you just didn’t send out a million resumes/cl to everywhere hoping to get one of those jobs.
Remember that the cover letter and the resume are just to get your foot in the door, to wow them or at least interests them in yourself, to show them you have what it takes and that you deserve an interview with the company.