Contact 1-800-466-1535 (250) 448-4670
Is Career Training Right For You? Take The Free Quiz |
If you are thinking about replying to a job posting, make sure you are responding in a way that is going to improve your chances of being considered for the job.
Below is an actual response to an employment ad, names have been changed and contact information removed:
A candidate we will call Jane responded to the job advertisement:
99% of recruiters would not have responded to this. The ad clearly states instructions on how to apply for the position. The applicant’s English and grammar are poor. This recruiter obviously has the patience of a saint, because this is their response:
The candidate response:
The recruiter response:
Note how professional the recruiter is? This is a good lesson for all of us. At this point, Jane sends in her resume which indicates she has been out of the medical field for over twenty years and has been working in real estate for many years.
The recruiter response:
The candidate response:
The recruiter response:
There are a few very important steps that Jane missed in this job application:
This is probably the first time you will come in contact with the employer, and it is true that first impressions are extremely important. In order to handle job applications in a professional and efficient manner, employers have certain processes that they ask applicants to follow. This employer asked that the applicant simply submit their resume. If Jane wanted more information about the job, she should have submitted her professional resume and waited to be contacted by the recruiter. The interview is the perfect time to ask questions about the position.
When responding to a job advertisement, improve your chances by following directions, and customizing your cover letter and resume to the job position. Recruiters often receive resumes that state the objective is to work as a ‘dental receptionist’ when the job they are applying for is for a ‘legal assistant’.
Editing your correspondence and documents for errors is critical during any step in the job process, especially for a Medical Transcription/Healthcare Documentation position. How can the recruiter recommend ‘Jane’ to a Medical Transcription Service Organization to accurately transcribe and edit important medical records when she can’t even proofread her own job application? If you are contacting a recruiter or employer, make sure you use proper grammar, correct spelling, and punctuation to further improve your chances. That will determine whether you and your skills are taken seriously enough to be contacted for an interview. A single spelling mistake can send your resume to the bowels of the shredding machine.
If you don’t receive a response, don’t be combative. Simply resend the same email. State that it was sent this on date, you are very interested in the position and wanted to ensure the recruiter had received your initial email. Some job postings get hundreds of resumes and it takes a while to go through them and get people testing.
People talk. Recruiters from different companies talk to each other and many recruiters will phone a school to get a reference for a graduate. Always maintain a high level of professionalism in all of your dealings. There’s enough competition out there as it is so don’t inhibit your chances. You want everyone singing your accolades and recommending you for employment.
Jane did not test. If she had passed, it is very doubtful that she would have been considered for employment. Jane demonstrated that she does not follow instructions, that she is combative and does not edit and proofread her communication, and that she feels she is entitled to the position. If Jane had followed the instructions correctly and included the first part of her last comment (about her nursing experience) into her resume, she would have left a much better impression on the recruiter. It is possible that if she tested well, she would have been considered for employment.
If you want to improve your chances of being considered for a job, just keep in mind these tips! If you’re looking for more resources on how to structure your resume, click here.