Will you get that interview call? Tips on sending job applications.

I see many, many jobseekers, everyday, who are tired of applying for jobs that never seem to result in interview calls and job offers. Or for jobs that don't fit their skill sets. But it would be worthwhile to note, that often, such road blocks are two pronged, there may be a mistake you may be making in your cv or in the way you apply for these jobs! Life is too short to make such mistakes over & over again.

So, lets get it into precise bullet points, what to do & what not to do, to get that treasured first phone call/email with a great job opening, shall we? So its easier to understand, and we can all keep it as a reference note.

Know Thyself

Firstly, pl, compulsorily, have a thorough understanding of your skills & expertise so you know what jobs you can or should apply for & which ones you shouldn't. 

For eg: Someone who has done Sales may want to get into Marketing & think, "I've done sales, I can do marketing...its just selling right?" Now as plausible as that sounds, the employer's job description sheet always asks for mainstream Marketing MBAs who may have experience in Market Research, ATL/BTL activities, and other marketing related experience. Someone from Advertising may have a better shot at making a transition into Marketing, but not a Sales guy. I'm not saying its impossible, you may go the proper route of doing an MBA in Marketing, getting a minimum of a year's experience as an intern in marketing with some company & then slowly & steadily climb that ladder. But when one sends out a cv for a job that doesn't suit them or their skills, the chances for any kind of a call back are zero. Hence, Know Yourself.

Crafting a Perfect Resume.

Gone are the days of stuffy, old fashioned resumes. Highlighting the same old Career objectives & Internships, most don't even write an original objective & end up copying from other cvs of friends & colleagues.
The modern resume is an interactive, interesting, engaging document that arrests the recruiter's attention & warrants atleast a phone call if nothing else.. it is quirky yet reverent, zingy yet tasteful, crisp & precise yet all inclusive. Bringing a smile on the face of any recruiter..,You know what that means! There are a lot of tools online to help you build interesting cvs, I don't prefer cv writers, because they use the same old templates for everyone, but if you have an understandind beforehand, and lend your own creativity to your cv, the better it is!

Be a Storyteller:

When job applicants consult with me on a daily basis, I always make it a point to tell them, to not READ out their cvs while getting interviewed. The interviewer HAS your cv! So tell them about yourself in an engaging, story format. Ofcourse I'm not saying have a custom script written or get into a song & dance routine.. :) but more like, section your profile into areas that you can narrate well & weave into one complete, wholesome career precis, including yourself as the protagonist & storyteller, both.

Put a Face to the Name:

In our wonderful country of such diversity, as a Recruiter, I often come across names of job applicants in cvs, which confuse the daylights out of me. Many a times, a Gunjan or a Nehal or a Parwinder or Jasmeet or Kiran, These can be either male or female applicants! As much humour as it provides me with, while calling Ashwini to hear a demure, delicate, musical Hello on the other end of the phone when I call, I am often greeted by a deeper baritone of a male voice, and inspite of all these years in recruitment, I still can't help but ask once again, "Am I speaking with Ashwini?" And the guy says, "Yes, you are!" :)

So well, guys, pls put a photo of yourself in your cvs! Aside from other factors like measuring your personality, ascertaining culture fitment, ensuring you are well groomed & presentable, smart & sharp looking, I will also save myself some embarrassment before lunch, everyday. 

Network using Social Networks

My College final year project was "Social & Business Networks" at a time when most of my classmates were presenting on Mc Donalds case studies & Linkedin & Facebook didn't even exist in India. I remember my very first networking website was one called Ryze.com where incidentally I found a lot of local Mumbai professionals (I was 19 yrs old, & it was 2001) & I made a lot of wonderful connections who I'm in touch with even today.

So, my friends, you are in an age where you have a plethora of social & business networking sites! Use them to your advantage in your job search. [Psst..I have been on Linkedin since 2005 & have over 23,000 connections from all around the world & it definitely has helped me look for business, as it will help you with job openings]

The Classics:

Over 20-30 years of your career, the format may change, more skills & work experience will add on, however somethings always remain constant. However, the constant should be customized, the same cv presentation cannot be made for every job, there are always minor tweaks depending on what you're applying for. For eg: If you are a Sales professional, who has sales experience in High end luxury products & you are applying for a Senior level sales job with a real estate company for their high end apartments, you could highlight areas of your profile where you may have liaised with Real estate insiders or have sold products/services resulting in high revenue earnings for your company, that are in sync with the price of the Real Estate offerings.

 

NOW, YOU HAVE A PERFECT CV IN HAND, LETS SEE HOW YOU SEND IT OUT.

Email Subject

Sometimes, uninteresting or vague email subject headers also tend to put off employers. The right way to form an email subject could be as under:

i) Ref: Your Job Post on Xyz.com: HR Generalist with 5 yrs exp_Mumbai location (when applying for a job posting)

ii) Introduction: HR Generalist_BPO Industry_5 yrs exp_Delhi location (when freshly introducing your candidature)

iii) Referred by John Smith for the HR Generalist opening with you. (When referred by someone the company/consultant knows)

iv) HR Generalist with 5 yrs exp looking to relocate to Mumbai (for job applications from other locations)

Email Body

Some common mistakes people make while sending out their cvs which need to be avoided are as follows:

i) Blank email:

 
This is a complete no no, as a blank email is seen as pure laziness and/or lack of initiative taking in properly introducing one's candidature to the employer. Plus since these employers/consultants get more than 200-500 cvs a day, can you not guess which ones get checked & which ones get deleted? As much as you wouldn't want a blank offer letter, a prospective employer wouldn't like a blank or worse VAGUELY worded email from you which gives no relevant information of your current background, salary, location & role.

ii) Vague information:

 
Some people have a habit of writing their qualities rather than skills without putting in any details about how many years they have worked, which company have they worked for, what is their current ctc, what is their reason for wanting to leave their present employer, and how soon can they join if selected, what areas or functions are they competent enough to get jobs in, etc. So if you send out a mail that goes like this, "Dear Consultant, I am a hardworking individual who has high levels of integrity & is very diligent & punctual. I've got rewards & recognitions for my work in my previous companies & have been appreciated by my seniors. I'm looking for a job that will add to my career growth & help me succeed", no points for guessing, but its going into the trash can!!

What employers WANT to see would go something like this, "Dear Consultant, I introduce myself as an individual with 8.5 yrs of strong and relevant experience in the Human Resources function with organizations like ABC, DEF & XYZ, where I am currently working, in the capacity of Manager - HR. I am an MBA in HR from the prestigious B-School, (Name of B School), Year 2007. My specialties include Learning & Development, Talent Acquisition, Comp & Ben, Payroll, Grievances Handling, PMS, Employee Engagement & OD. I'm looking to move from XYZ because they are shifting their operations to a new location & it would be impossible for me to relocate as my family is here, and hence I'm looking for a job at the earliest, I'm already serving a notice & can join any organization in 30 days at the max, although an earlier joining can be negotiated, I'm currently on an annual ctc of 10 lacs p.a (of which 1 lac is variable, pl let me know if you need any other information. Regds, John Smith (Mobile No)"

Helps to put it in the below format also for quick reference & maximum call backs as not all cvs get opened, but this is enough to make a consultant open your cv:

Name:
Mobile No:
Email:
Current Company:
Designation:
Annual Ctc (Fixed+Variable breakup):
Currently Residing at location:
Area of Expertise:
Current Industry:
Reason for looking for a change:
Flexible with 6 days working?:
Highest Academic degree:
How soon can you join if selected:

Hope this helps! Pl feel free to share & pass it around so the maximum number of people can understand 'What Not to Do while applying for jobs' :)

Regards,

Neha Asthana

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNehaAsthana

Email: careerconnect.neha@gmail.com

Mumbai | India