Applying for Jobs Online

Welcome

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module you will be able to:

What happens if you send the same thing to everyone

• You hear nothing backTap to see what this looks likeTwenty applications, one reply, and that reply is a no. You never find out which part of it was the problem, so you do the same thing again next week.Tap to turn back
• You rule yourself out of jobs you could getTap to see what this looks likeYou read the list, see something you have not done, and close the tab. Half of that list was a wish, not a requirement, and nobody told you.Tap to turn back
• You waste days on jobs you can never getTap to see what this looks likeThe other half of the list is the part with no debate. Miss one of those and your application was never going anywhere, however long you spent on it.Tap to turn back
• Your CV talks about a different jobTap to see what this looks likeEverything you have ever done, in the order it happened, with the thing that actually matters buried on page two. They are reading for ten seconds.Tap to turn back
• They can tell it is a copy and pasteTap to see what this looks likeNothing in it is about them. No reason why this company. It reads like it went to thirty others, because it did.Tap to turn back

What happens when you tailor it

• You know in a minute whether to applyTap to see what this looks likeRead the must haves first. If one of them is missing, close it and move to the next job. That is not giving up, that is not wasting your week.Tap to turn back
• Your words match their wordsTap to see what this looks likeThey wrote customer service, so your application says customer service. They are scanning for their own language and they find it straight away.Tap to turn back
• The right experience is the first thing they seeTap to see what this looks likeThe job closest to the one you are going for sits at the top. Everything else can wait further down, or come off entirely.Tap to turn back
• It gets faster every timeTap to see what this looks likeThe first one takes twenty minutes. The fifth takes two. You are not rewriting it, you are swapping a few details you already know where to find.Tap to turn back
• One in five instead of one in twentyTap to see what this looks likeFewer applications, each one actually aimed at the job. The replies change, and so does how it feels to send one.Tap to turn back

Watch

Check what landed

Three questions on what you just watched. You can go back and watch it again at any time.

Four things that make the difference

Read it, Match it, Lead with it, Edit it

• 1Read it properlyWhich parts are must haves and which are wishes?Tap to see howRead it properlyListings mix the two together. Find the must haves first. If one is missing, close it and go to the next job. If it is only a wish, you are still in.Tap to turn back
• 2Match itAre you using their words or your own?Tap to see howMatch itThey wrote the listing in their own language. Where your wording means the same thing but says it differently, change yours to theirs so they recognise it.Tap to turn back
• 3Lead with itWhat is the first thing they will see?Tap to see howLead with itPut the job closest to this one at the top. Not everything you have ever done, in the order it happened. They are reading for a few seconds.Tap to turn back
• 4Edit itDid you change anything, or send the same one again?Tap to see howEdit itEvery application gets edited. Build yourself a checklist of what to swap each time. The first one is slow. After five you are down to a couple of minutes.Tap to turn back

The first application takes twenty minutes. By the fifth it takes two.

5 Tips for applying online

• Check the must haves firstBefore you write anything, find the lines with no debate in them. Missing one means this is not your job today. Knowing that in a minute saves you an afternoon.
• Do not be scared off by the wish listNobody has everything on it. The listing is what they hoped for, not a gate. If you have the must haves, you are in the running.
• Use their wordsOpen the listing next to your application. Where they say customer service, say customer service. Where they say reliable, say reliable. Their words, not your version of them.
• Put the closest job firstKeep one long CV with everything on it, then cut it down for each application. The job nearest the one you are going for goes at the top.
• Build your own checklistWrite down the handful of things you change each time. The company name, the job title, the top job on the CV, the words from the listing. That list is what turns twenty minutes into two.

Reflection

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