How to apply to a job advert
Simple steps that can improve your odds
There are a few principles that relate to job adverts and how you experience them.
The first is that there are typically only two things you consider when reading one:
What’s in it for you
Issues and dealbreakers
How much importance you place on either will be based on things like your situation, your finances, your threshold for bullshit, and your experiences elsewhere.
The second principle is that there are broadly two types of job adverts:
Transactional
Non-transactional
Transactional is measured by the throughput of measurable steps, such as CVs, calls, or interviews.
Whereas non-transactional advertisers realise there is a person reading, who doesn’t see themselves as a key performance indicator.
You can tell one from the other by how much care is put into the document.
Which brings me to my first piece of advice:
Reciprocate the level of care you experience from a recruitment process.
It’s a good rule of thumb to treat applications as transactionally as the advert, especially as ‘transactional’, in itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing - it just dictates the process.
A third principle to consider is that many employers (and therefore everyone else) confuse job descriptions with job adverts.
If a vacancy were a pizza, the job description would be its ingredients, while the advert is what makes you salivate.
I wrote about why this is an important distinction, in the very first edition of my recruitment newsletter: A pizza cake.
Yet most employers’ job postings constitute a dry set of ingredients - great to check for allergies, not so great to attract potential staff.
This isn't necessarily their fault - it's down to a lack of intention, and not understanding how words are experienced.
It can mean that a poor advert may hide a good job.
Before I get into the advice section, I recommend reading these articles:
Advert Application Numbers and You
They all have details and advice on their topics while relating to this article.
How to apply to a job
Establish the advert meets your acceptable criteria for consideration
If you’re unsure, reach out to the recruiter
If they don’t respond, take that as an answer
Check the essential criteria
If you meet these essential criteria, and you wish to apply, show how you do so in your application
Don’t assume we can see your transferrable skills - show how they apply to our domain
Check out Principles of a Good CV, The Transferrable Skills Trap and On Job Titles and Keywords for how and why
If you can’t logically prove to yourself you are a suitable candidate - step away, especially in a high-volume process. You create work for yourself that has no benefit - your hit rate will be around 0% - and you take attention away from more suitable candidates
When customising an application, check out Principles of a Good CV for if, how and why
For a transactional advert, fire, follow up and forget. Move on to the next one, transactionally. If they respond later, great! If not, no bother.
For a non-transactional advert, treat it non-transactionally. The care and intent of these adverts show an inclination towards the ‘right hire’. These may be rare, but if you genuinely are a great candidate with applicable skills, we want to hear from you! Here’s an example of one of mine: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4085599230 (I’d give it an 8/10 for my skill level, but what’s important for me is how it landed with suitable candidates)
That’s it! You know the rest, given you’re already applying to vacancies. The priority is to focus your applications on the ones you #might# get a return on, and to help us see you as a candidate of choice.
Do this and you’ll improve your odds, reduce time spent on job boards, and possibly be less frustrated by your efforts.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Greg