From the course: Writing a Resume

Resumes and online applications

From the course: Writing a Resume

Resumes and online applications

- You may be fed up of filling out job applications online, and you might not have received a single confirmation that your resume has been reviewed by a real person, but now is not the time to give up. It is however, time to reevaluate a few actions. While working as a recruiter, I interviewed hundreds of professionals over the years, and regardless of the career level of the person, one thing they have in common, was a desire to convince me that they were the ideal candidate for the job. But it was difficult for the candidate because I would interrupt and I would ask detailed questions. And just as I would require candidates to make the case of why they should be considered for a particular job, you have to make sure your resume proves, why you are the right fit when applying online. Your resume alone has to make the case that you are the ideal candidate for the job. The phrase quality over quantity applies here. Employ a little more scrutiny when applying online. Treat an online job application, as if you were speaking to a recruiter, and this will force you to submit a customized resume. Add more detail and spend more time evaluating your skills in relation to the job. Try this, and you'll find the responses to the applications you do submit, will increase. If you're applying for a job with a large company, you may see more than one job, which is applicable to you. And you think great. All I need to do is submit one application and then I can apply to multiple jobs. I get it. Applying online is not the way anyone wants to spend their time. So the thought of three job applications with just one click, is extremely appealing. But I caution you not to get sucked into that line of thinking. Are you applying to jobs which are very different? You might be qualified as both a project manager and as an accounting assistant. But if that's true, you should not be using the same resume to apply to both jobs. And be aware that it might be visible in the system that you've applied to multiple jobs within the same company. This tells the hiring managers viewing your resumes, that one, you were too lazy to submit separate resumes, and two, you don't really know what you want to do because you've applied to more than one very different job within the same company. If you do see more than one job at the same company that you want to apply to, remain focused and try to stay within the same job function, so that you don't accidentally give the impression that you're unsure of what you want. An additional word of caution is on applying to the same job multiple times. If you really want to work for a specific company and you're having a hard time finding a way in, you might want to watch the videos on finding a job as part of a proactive job search. Force yourself to evaluate your skills in relation to the job description, and be honest as you reviewed just how many of the job requirements you're meeting. Now, don't get the wrong idea. I don't believe that you need to meet every job requirement in order to get the job. But we are talking about applying online here. And the more requirements you meet, the higher the possibility that your resume will make it past the online filter and into the hands of a hiring manager.

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