There’s a new trend that just about all the job boards and career websites are jumping on right now – and ironically, it will actually prevent you from successfully landing a job through them.
Ostensibly, they’re trying to help. Job boards say that they want to make it easier for you to apply for jobs at any time, from anywhere. That means they are introducing one-click apply functionality – so you can submit your resume to any job posting you see with a single click from your computer or mobile device.
Great! What could be better? You can search for new career options while commuting and with just a few clicks be applying to every job opening available online right now.
That’s the trouble. The secret to getting hired is not to send out more job applications – it’s sending better ones.
Mass emailing your resume is just spamming companies. Employers say that upwards of 75 per cent of applications they receive are from under-qualified or irrelevant candidates. What makes them irrelevant? Their skills don’t align with the post, they’re not experienced in the field, or their career path doesn’t match with the opportunity.
Those things don’t have to be deal breakers. To overcome them you need to write a specific resume tailored to every job you apply for. Make sure the title of your resume matches the job title you’re seeking. Describe how you have the relevant skills to do the job, and explain how your past experience and accomplishments indicate that you would be successful at it.
Employers can easily spot one-size-fits-all resumes, and they don’t like them. Target companies you really want to work for, and create the application that shows why you’re passionate about joining them specifically.
A tailored resume that shows you’ve done your homework, you know about the company and have ideas about how you’d like to contribute to it will always stand out from the sea of one-click generic candidates.
Don’t send more applications, send better ones.
