Imagup General Magazine 2024
We all seek opportunities to greener pastures, and one function that comes with that in the formal world is the need to apply for those opportunities. Many employers come up with forms that contain questions that are tricky to answer, even though they appear to be simple to screen many people off. If application forms are ever straightforward as they seem, wouldn’t we have almost everyone in their dream jobs and positions? According to Jobapplicationguide.com, within the limited lines of application forms, recruiters are looking for persons who can impress them with professional qualifications, wits, and good command of impact-driven language. Here is a job application guide with six things to consider.
Be free to explore
Thank goodness, these are not days when you must, compulsorily, being your application with Dear Sir/Ma,” “Following your advert…” “Attached is a copy of my CV” and other cliché statements that you might have heard of, or tried out in the past. These days, employers want to assess applicants’ creativity who can break the regular yet remaining productive. So, there are no strict rules; be free to explore. However, be careful with your usage of words. Remember that this is still a formal application; hence, you should not use vulgar, colloquial, hurting words nor abbreviations. Be free to get creative about the kind of role you would like to be employed for.
Focus on competencies
Columns titled “skills,” “core competencies,” “what you have to offer” are never places to provide a single sentence reply. You are to glorify your core competence in clear terms, enunciating what you can do and how such virtue(s) would help the organization. While personal information is a must, spare your recruiter too many details about your family size, marital status, ethnicity, and religious views. They are not as much interested in your background as they are in what values you have to offer their enterprise.
Use impact-delivering language
When filling out those forms, as much as you are supposed to explore, do not use grandiloquent words. You don’t need the fluffs and padded words. Be straight to the point and use a language that delivers impact rather than what was done.
For instance, if you are to fill a section that says, “Explain your previous experience on a similar job,” you want to write your experience and the outcome. Your response can be, “I was the team leader of a community-based sales team in upper Iowa, where I led in marketing, product demonstration, and we made a total sale of 30,500 units of organic hair products in 6 months.
Or, as an auditor, you want to say, “I was an auditor at Wells Fargo, where I performed my duty for two years. With skillfulness and proficiency with auditing software, I monitored, overlooked, calculated accounts, and developed standard reports. At the end of my time with the establishment, I was able to save the company from a loss of $2 billion from averted errors.”
So, you want your prospective employer to be able to measure the impact of your previous roles and impress them with core competencies. However, you should be honest about your impacts; there are always ways to confirm your claims, especially if an intermediating recruiting firm would manage your application.
Use active voice
With online applications and form filling, you only have your words to convince the recruiters that you are a good choice. There are profilers or human analysts, or psychologists who work with recruiting firms full-time. From your info and usage of words, they do psychoanalysis on your person to see how convincing, confident, persuasive, and reasonable you are. One way to pitch your confidence is by using an active voice in your works. A good job application guide would tell you to avoid passive voice as much as possible. Here are some examples.
- Exploring new opportunities is something I enjoy. (No)
- I love exploring new opportunities. (Yes)
- Computer programming is what I have done in the past five years, with competency in Python. (Yes)
- I am a computer programmer with five years of developing programs in Python. (Yes)
Passive statements usually portray that you are not confident or direct. Active statements, however, shows you are confident.
Do your homework
In a time when people are desperate to have a job done, they just send in their applications on any available post, which they think they can attempt. Some people have a pattern of submitting an application that they only use, rinse, and repeat. You should do your research on the company you are applying to and on a person’s duties in your office of interest. Making this research will help you to use terms and concepts that are applicable to the enterprise. For instance, if Amazon calls for programmers, you should not just apply because you have been writing programs for the past seven years. Find out if the programmers they need are those efficient with Java, Python, or C++. You want to be sure about what you are applying for. Knowing exactly the company’s background will also help you make a winning pitch in sections such as “What aspect of this job are you most experienced in?”
An applicant who did their research would write something, such as:
I am very efficient with baking foods on low heat, special considerations, and possess a unique recipe for baking low-fat foods for those with health considerations. This proves the relevance of my skill to your enterprise, considering that you have the mission of serving low-fat meals to the good people of America.
Be Honest
Application processes do not end by filling forms online. The process continues with the possibility of exams, phone interviews, physical interviews, trial/intern period, and so on. You would be observed throughout all the stages. So, be you. Apply to jobs you have competencies for.
Finally, while making your applications, keep acquiring knowledge in relevant fields. Knowledge never wastes. This job application guide has successfully provided enlightenment to fill forms truthfully, focus on your competencies, use active statements, be impact-driven, and be creative. All the best.
