Part 1:​ How to Get That job

Before you hit that "apply" button, make sure that you understand the following. Yes, some of this means extra effort, but hey, since you've already committed to it, might as well make it a great application. Will it increase your chances of scoring an interview? Definitely!

My two top tips to consider when applying for jobs are:

1. Cater your job application to the role that you are applying for
2. Be realistic and consider if your experience and education are relevant to this role (ie. read the selection criteria).

Let me give you a bit of context.

When I was younger I used to think, “I’ll just apply for all the roles that sound good and see what happens! I might get lucky and my dream employer will contact me!” And off my little, click-happy, hopeful fingers went. I used to “bulk apply” for many different roles in a variety of industries—hospitality, retail, administration—with the SAME CV. I cringe on the inside thinking about it now.

No, this isn’t how this works. Let me tell you something—really bluntly, a hiring manager/recruiter doesn’t care about your short stint at Subway ten years ago (unless you are applying for a similar position now—actually, even then—just no). When a hiring manager or a recruiter is looking to fill a position, they are looking for a set of skills and experience to fit that particular role. It’s all well and good to have transferrable skills (more on that topic in another post). However, you have to emphasise those to the recruiter and a cover letter is a perfect place for it.

Believe it or not, recruiters tend to still go through almost all of the applications for a role and depending on the number of applications, we can be time-poor, no matter how well trained and quick we might be at reviewing those applications. For this reason, it is annoying and time-consuming when a truck driver with years of experience driving a truck, applies for a clerical role. I mean, I am all for chasing your dreams, but the likelihood of that truckie being hired is minimal.

So, moral of the story, don’t apply for roles, which have absolutely no relevance to your prior working experiences or your education. Be realistic.

Here to help you get your next job,

The HR Graduate