| Getting Calls, Part 4 |
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Research the Company's Priorities Similar to including keywords from a job description in your materials, it's also a good idea to incorporate phrases that relate to the company's priorities. Spend a few minutes researching the hiring company on the Internet. Be on the lookout for key phrases that describe the company's mission, culture, and products. Then find ways to work that verbiage into your materials. For instance, you could write something like this: Your company's focus on creating and maintaining sustainable operations is admirable, and is in line with my own values. When I worked at Company X, I organized and launched the first sustainability review task force... Create a Flawless Application When you apply to an advertised opening, some businesses will require you to complete a formal application, by filling out either an online or hardcopy document. To improve your chances of being selected for an interview, follow these formal application guidelines: Complete the application in full. To you, some of the questions asked on an application might seem silly, redundant, or prying. However, if a company uses an application in its hiring process, you need to take it seriously, and complete it fully and without errors. Create a cheat sheet. If you have trouble remembering details, fill in a sample job application (print one off of a company's Web page or pick one up from a potential employer), and keep this cheat sheet on hand. Resist the urge to guess on details those errors could come back to haunt you. Don't omit information about pay. Instead, include a range when providing information about former salary (list starting and endingand factor in bonuses and benefits if you want to bump it up a little), and write "open" or "negotiable" when responding to questions about desired compensation. Worried about including salary information when a company asks for it? You're right...it can feel like an employer is invading your privacy by asking something so personal. "What right do they have to ask?" you might wonder. Keep in mind that for larger employers especially, their goal is to standardize and streamline their hiring processes to deal with the thousands of job applications they receive each year. Gathering information about your pay is one way those companies can streamline their sorting processes to determine whether you're a fit for a position that interests you. For this reason, it's important to include something when you're asked for this information on an application"Will discuss in interview," or a low-high range detailing the upper and lower ends of your former compensation. Even though it might make you squirm a little, don't leave these blocks on an application blankotherwise, you could be booted from consideration. Keep in mind that employers can check back only five to seven years into your work history. If you don't want to list a former employer from further back into your employment, you don't need to. |
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