Waiting is even more difficult when it comes to our future. You know that period between submitting your CV and waiting to hear if you scored an interview or not? It’s like the queasy roller coaster feel… just without the thrill (and cotton candy).
As the HR Manager at Trendhim, I’ve helped hire over 50 people in the last year. These 50 new teammates were found from over 1,000 CVs and applications. A lot of people were waiting for me – some got thrills. Others, as is the nature of the working world, got queasy.
While I have no tips or tricks for handling the actual waiting time (research says how well you cope with waiting depends on how much of it you did as a child… blame your parents!), I do have 8 tips for making sure that you submit the best CV and application possible.
Putting your best foot forward from the start will make the wait easier. That’s a good feeling.
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Don’t Write to Get the Interview – Write to Get the Job
I read hundreds of applications and don’t have time to dive into every one.
If you fill yours with notions and enticing promises, I’m likely going to skip over you for the candidates who presented themselves with precision, facts and experience.
I need to see your relevance for the position – immediately.
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Structure Your CV
Most hiring managers start with your CV. Be sure to include a good photo (a requirement in Denmark) and clear contact information.
Keep the body of your CV structured. A simple spacing error or typo may be nothing in the grand scheme of life, but it says to me that you ignore the small details.
Each dot and word on your CV says something about you. Make sure they say ‘winner’.
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Be Crystal Clear
How clear is crystal? Very. Everything you include in your CV should be written clearly and specifically. I’m looking for things you’ve achieved and learned.
State exactly what you’ve done at previous positions. Think: Newsletters twice a week for 5,000 readers, and I grew the list from 280. I grew the open rate from xx to xx. Sales went from xxx to xxx. Specifics are key.
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Answer the Dang Questions!
As a service to both the applicants and ourselves (mostly ourselves) we end all job ads with ‘apply by answering these 5 questions’. This isn’t a way to take up space on the page – they are legitimate questions and we’re eager to read the answers.
Job ads that don’t have specific questions are still filled with questions. Find them. Answer them. Ignore them and your chances magically disappear like fairy dust. Poof!p
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PDF – PDF – PDF
Never send your CV or cover letter in .docx or .pages format. Always send it as a PDF. This also allows you to control things like spacing and structure.
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Be You
It’s more important to be yourself than to be funny. If you’re naturally funny, it will show. Keep an eye on the tone with which the job posting was written. Was it written with humour? That’s the key to how you can reply.
We try to write ours in a way that is both inspiring and personal. We want real (inspired) people to apply – not the stiff tell-me-what-I-should-do-and-I’ll-do-it types.
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Make it Personal
I look through hundreds of cover letters that lack passion, personality and attitude. Even people applying for communication jobs write ultra-long and ultra-boring cover letters… and it’s not a good look. Catch me at the first sentence and I’ll want to know more.
Make reading your application worthwhile. Let me see you on the page. It’s a balance between specifics and personality.
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Edit
Never rush through the application process. Have a friend read through your cover letter before sending. Write it today and read through it tomorrow before sending. Never toss words on the page and press send… you’ll end up wishing you had added something else or worded something differently.
other valuable tips:
At the end of the day, the right person will get the job and the ideal job for you is out there… you just have to find it. Understanding that doesn’t make the process any easier, but knowing that you’ve given it your all will make the wait a bit more bearable.
And if the waiting-induced anxiety gets totally out of control… there’s always airport security.
Image Credit: Pixabay
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