oard : your strategy
With job boards you have multiple jobseekers just like yourself , applying for dozens of jobs at a time . The recruiting firms and consultants get inundated with responses and your application is languishing within those responses .
You need to keep this in mind because you should be thinking how you can make each application you send stand out . And , when applying for these jobs , you need to make sure you don ’ t forget where you ’ ve applied . This happens more often than you ’ d think , as job boards make the application process so quick and simple .
What is your strategy ?
Firstly , you should keep a list of all applications and the dates on which they ’ ve been made . You will normally get an auto response and , if they ’ re not interested , you won ’ t hear again . But what if you do hear back and you can ’ t remember making the application or can ’ t remember exactly what the job was ? Not the greatest of first impressions .
Consider calling the employer or agency if you haven ’ t heard back within a couple of days . Yes , if they are not interested they may be mildly irritated , but then , you haven ’ t lost anything anyway . Remember that it is entirely possible that your CV is sitting in an inbox and has not even been seen by the decision taker . By calling , you bring it immediately to the attention of the person who counts .
Next is your CV . Do you tailor it to suit each role to which you apply or do you have one generic CV for all jobs ? It may take a little more time to match your CV to the job advert , but the employer is looking for a specific skill or experience , so make sure that is prominent on your CV .
It is so tempting to include a long list of skills on your CV in the hope that the employer will find something they like , but remember , the actual decision taker is probably not even going to sort CVs into who is seen and who is not . More likely , an administrator will be asked to go through the response first and prepare a shortlist of CVs for the decision taker to read . So keep your CV brief yet effective . Make sure it is easy to read and that your key information is easily spotted . ( For help with CV writing check out our Your CV : Keep it Brief article on the careers advice section of retailappointment . co . uk )
Most importantly
Put some thought into your accompanying email / cover letter . Sometimes this is not needed but if there is an option to attach a cover letter , do .
Write a short , succinct email that demonstrates that you have read the advert properly and that you are applying specifically to that advert and not taking a scatter gun approach by applying to every employer on the job board . Both of the following two examples demonstrate this simply :
Hi [ Recruiter ], I am particularly interested in working for Tesco as I really admire its recent success . The store in Purley is my local store and I know that the standards there are second to none . I do hope you will be interested in my application .
Hi [ Recruiter ], My family comes from the fashion industry and I know that to work for Boohoo . com in merchandising is the fastest possible route to success . I am really interested in the MAA roles that you have advertised and , although my background is not obvious for a fashion retailer , I have a strong grasp of numbers and love working with spreadsheets .
You will want to avoid a generic email , such as :
Re : Vacancy I am interested in your positions advertised on retailappointment . co . uk
This implies that you have sent your CV to all the jobs on the website — and think , if that was the message sitting in that recruitment inbox , would you open it ?
Approached correctly , job boards are still the most effective way of finding a job . All job seekers should make them a critical part of their career change strategy .
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