What an awful way to have a job interview come to an end. I hope you will never hear this phrase in person in your lifetime. The bright side is that you actually made it to the interview phase of the search. Many people do not.

Many people do not make it past the initial applicant screening simply because they make mistakes that could and should have been avoided. The Do’s & Don’ts of Applying for a Job would be a more descriptive title for this blog, but then you wouldn’t have read it. The point is, that despite gazillions of good resources for the aforementioned do’s & don’ts, many people still make avoidable errors that land their application materials in the ‘no thank you’ pile. Our own Design Manager gave some advice in her March 2012 blog, Landing a Gig in Design. We’ll review some of her points and see what other TSI managers like to see in application materials. You’ve probably heard it all before, so may we suggest that you turn hearing into doing when you apply for your next job?

Four Tips to Get Your Application through the Screening Process

1. Follow the instructions given. This is #1 because it is a big one. Send all the materials asked for in the format requested and delivered by the means specified. If the instructions request a portfolio of your work and you don’t have one, maybe this isn’t the job for you (free hint!). Don’t add your own instructions; follow the ones given. If you don’t follow the instructions, how can we be sure you’ll follow instructions given by your supervisor?  This is ultimately a test; one many fail.  Don’t be one of them.

2. Make sure your materials are free of any typos and grammatical errors. No brainer? If only you could see some of the materials we have recently received. I feel safe in saying that any computer you may use has spell check. Use it. And remember that spell check does NOT catch grammatical errors, misused words, missing words, or extra words. You still have to proofread your materials, and then proofread them again. Or have someone else proofread them. Or leave them for several hours and then go back and proofread before sending. Get the picture?

3. Spend time on your cover letter, but keep it short. Here, suggestions come from several of our managers. Our Design Manager suggests that you “let your portfolio do the talking.” Makes sense; if you’re a designer, your portfolio should include only your strongest work and your cover letter should be used to demonstrate your writing abilities. Keep your portfolio strong and your cover letter short. Oh, and if you are a designer, design your resume also. It’s just one more way to show off your skills.

Our marketing department likes to see personalized materials. They look for a personalized objective on your resume that fits the job opening. They also look for your cover letter to show signs that you’ve done your homework. It should convey that you have some understanding of what the company does and should directly relate your experience to the job opening. Using a personalized greeting instead of “to whom it may concern” helps also. They summarize, “Basically it comes down to showing that you’ve put more than a minute’s thought into the application.”

Our Accounting Manager echoes some of the same: you should directly relate your experience to the job opening. And I’m sure you’re not surprised that he likes to see numbers also. Give quantitative measures of your past successes. How much did your project increase productivity…2%, 20%, 200%? What about that objective to cut costs? Were they reduced by 25%, 50%, 75%? Using numbers conveys real meaning when it is appropriate for the job opening.

1. Why do you want THIS job? Tell us. Here’s the thing: you are not going to work in a vacuum. You are going to work in an organization with other human beings and when human beings get together there is usually a set of collective behaviors that help define the work environment. This is known as the company culture. The company culture will be expressed in the company’s core values, policies, decision making and strategic planning. Many companies explicitly publish these on their website. For others, a visit to their website can give you a good feel for what these might be even if they are not spelled out. Find the information and use it. (Is this sounding familiar?) With the opportunity to use your acquired skills, you will be most satisfied in a work environment where the company culture is a good fit for your personal beliefs. Please do not underestimate this cultural fit. At Taylor Studios, we actively interview and hire based on our perceptions of the applicant’s ability to not only do the job, but to “fit” our culture.

I want to end this with a real life example. Several months ago, we received two applications. To be honest, I can’t remember the job opening and neither of these applicants were moved on to the next stage of our search. I felt sad about that for one applicant, but not for the other. One applicant did not have the skill set and experience we needed, the other did. One applicant did all of the things listed above and the other didn’t. I bet you can guess where this is going. The applicant without the necessary skills/experience submitted a neatly formatted, error free resume with a well worded and error free cover letter. The mental picture conveyed was of a responsible, dependable person who would be an asset to a company. The other applicant had an advanced degree yet the resume and cover letter were substandard. The resume included items that were lined through in pencil and additions made in pencil. The cover letter said, “I saw the job opening. Here’s my resume.” While that is not a direct quote, that is essentially what it said; two short lines. I’ll leave that mental picture to you.

What mental picture do you want to convey with your application materials? Image via PHD Comics