The MicroTrain Blog

4 Steps to Take Before Submitting Your Application

We've all been there. You find the perfect job lead. Your pulse quickens as you finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. After gathering your old resume and cover letter, you attach them to an email with a polite introduction and take a deep breath, hoping this will be the last time you have to email your resume to a stranger. Your pointer hovers over the Send button.

Stop Right There!

If this job lead is as promising as you think, slow down and take these four steps to ensure you’re sending a high-quality application that will get the employer’s attention.

Tailor your resume

You should have several resumes on your computer at any given time: a master resume, with all of your education, skills, and experience, and several specialized resumes for your most applied for positions. Use the master resume to pick and choose the skills and experience that’s most relevant for each application.

Even if you have already prepared a resume for this specific job title, no two job postings are the same. Take a few minutes to refresh your specialized resume by updating the experience and skills that match the requirements listed in the posting. Pick out the keywords from the job summary and requirements. Does your resume contain any of these keywords? If not, you should consider revising your professional summary and job experience to better match the posting.    

Do your research

When you’re out of work, it’s tempting to fire off as many applications in a day as you can, but this scattershot approach can actually hurt your chances of finding the job you deserve. Three well-thought-out applications will be far more effective than ten haphazard ones.

The first step to creating a high-quality application is to research the company. There are several ways to do this, but 90% of the time, a quick visit to the company’s webpage and LinkedIn profile should yield the information you need to show the hiring manager that you've done your homework.

Once you know a little more about the company and its history and culture, you have to find an "in," that is, a connection inside the company who can accept your application or forward it to someone else who can. By sending your application to a real person, you bypass any Applicant Tracking Software the company might use and greatly increase your chances of success. One of the easiest ways to connect with decision-makers at the company is to visit their LinkedIn profile. Many companies have a public list of employees, complete with job titles, that you can look through. When you find a promising profile, connect with them and send them a message on LinkedIn. Don't be shy; this is your opportunity to get your foot in the door.

Write a new cover letter

Even if you already have a cover letter for the exact position, it’s absolutely essential to craft a new cover letter for every serious application. A customized cover letter shows that you’re interested in the position and is a great way to show how your specific experience and accomplishments qualify you for this specific position. As you can imagine, something this specific requires time and research, so be sure to budget your time accordingly.

Think your cover letter is just vague and specific enough to serve double duty for multiple applications? Think again. Any experienced hiring manager has seen hundreds, if not thousands, of cover letters, and can spot a form letter in seconds. Believe me; their trash cans are full of recycled cover letters.

Proofread your materials

Nothing kills an application faster than typos or incorrect formatting. The best experience, skills and references in the world can’t save you from a missing or misspelled word. It may seem obvious, but proper proofreading is crucial to the success of your application.

Proofreading involves more than just running your resume and cover letter through spell check (though spell check is a life-saver). To properly proof your documents, print them off and read the hard copy with a pen in hand. Any typographic or formatting errors will be far easier to spot in a hard copy than on the screen. But don’t stop there. Give your materials to a trusted friend for a thorough vetting. Oftentimes friends will spot crippling errors that slipped through the cracks.

Higher quality applications receive higher quality responses. Repeat these four steps for every application you send out. If something doesn't work on the first try, tweak it for the next application. Keep this up and you’ll start hearing back from employers in no time.  

When it comes to professional branding, your elevator pitch is your bread and butter. This short, 30—45 second statement is your first chance to wow a new business contact. It should summarize not only who you are as a professional, but also what you can do for your audience.

A good elevator pitch will spark your audience’s interest by revealing just enough information while getting straight to the point. Keep it short and sweet. Making your pitch around 30 seconds should do the trick; this will make your audience want to know more about you without boring them with all the details.

But it’s important to remember that it's not all about you. Engage your audience by showing them how they can benefit from your valuable skills and experience and they’ll want you even more.

Fortunately, we’ve taken all the guesswork out of creating the perfect elevator pitch. Head over to TheProfessional.Me to check out our brand new Elevator Pitch Generator. This handy tool will take you step-by-step through the process of creating your own dazzling elevator pitch, which you’ll be able to use at networking events, in job interviews and any time someone asks what you do.

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