How to Make a Successful Job Application

Finding a job has always been a struggle for most people. Because of the financial meltdown which started in 2008, nowadays it is even harder to find a job. However, there are some tricks which put you in front of the line when making a job application. I will try to list you a few of those which I hope you will benefit from.

First of all your mind should be clear about the job you want to apply for. Do you really want to work for that company? Do you really know the responsibilities tied in with the job? At the end of the day, do you really the job? Be honest with yourself. If the answer is not a clear “yes”, there are no tactics be successful in that environment even if you get the chance. This means that you should make some prior research.

There are two important tools which help you to get called for an interview. The first is your resume. People tend to think “the longer, the better”. This is wrong. I myself skip some of the CV’s which I find too long. In my opinion, the longest resume should be a page and a half, of 2 pages maximum. No one in the upper management level will read a 4 page long CV. Please do not lie about your previous experiences (a little polishing to some extent might be acceptable). If you have worked for 20 comapanies in the past, try to list the latest and significan 3-4 of them. Do not write more than a few lines about your eduction (unless it is directly related with the job you are  applying for). Do not list the references at the end, instead, specify that they are available upon request. Do not spend half a page on your hobbies and interests.

The next tool you have is the cover letter. This is overlooked most of the time. A cover letter is not supposed to be a template which you send for every job application. In fact, it should be something tailored for each job application. The most important thing here is that you should be talking in terms of the employer’s interests. Since you are supposed to have some brief information about the company and the job, you should talk about how you can contribute to the company in a way that most of the other applicants cannot. If you look at the cover letter from this point of view, you should see that it should be written specifically for each job you are appliying for. Please try to keep the cover letter limited to one page. No one will read it if it is too long!

If you use these two tools efficiently, it means that you have increased your chances for being called to an interview. If you are interested on more detailed information, there are some books which you can read for more information to make successful job applications. Some of these you can find on these pages:

an effective book for writing your CV

an effective book for writing cover letters

Best of Luck...