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Tricks to Applying for Jobs Online by Mary Lockman

Recently, I spoke with an unemployed professional who, after three failed attempts at attaching her résumé to an online application, simply gave up and didn’t apply for the job. My response to her and to all of you frustrated online applicants is that it’s not you, it’s Seattle!

Our fair city has the most educated urban population in the nation, and although lots of people are crowing about that, the fact is it makes competition uniquely stiff for almost any applicant in any occupation. Couple this with our unusually high orientation toward computers (we are the birthplace of Microsoft) and you have an online wonderland of the latest, fastest, smartest job application software geared toward an educated crowd of techies and wannabes that leave the rest of us feeling out of sync.

But take heart. The good news is that, even though the application method has changed, many of the rules remain the same.

My favorite rule for getting a résumé noticed is to make your content reflect the description of the next job you want. A content-driven résumé sums up the strengths and experiences you will bring to bear in your next position. It is the very best of who you are and what you do in a specific context, more of a marketing piece than an employment history. So this means a couple of things:

1 - Tailor your résumé. If the number one skill that the employer wants is management, then list your management experience first in each section. Make a short list of your key qualifications at the top of your résumé and match them to each job description. Make sure those key qualifications are also in the body of your résumé so an employer can see your skills in context.

2 - Translate your skills. Notice the language that employers use to describe the job and use that language. It makes your résumé reflect the employer’s values, and that is immediately engaging for any reader. I worked for three nonprofit organizations who described their clients, respectively, as members, residents and students. Each organization was philosophically opposed to the term “client,” and using “client,” I later learned, was a death knell for other applicants.

3 - Quantify, quantify, quantify. The greatest mistake I find on résumés is that applicants fail to use quantifying numbers when describing tasks. The second greatest mistake I find is that applicants leave their jobs without knowing what those numbers are. If you cannot remember exact figures, then approximate them. And if you do not currently know the size of your budget, the number of clients you handle or the percentage that you save your company, then find out for every job you hold starting today. The more employers know about the exact dimensions of your work, the more likely they will be interested in you.

Once you have a content-driven résumé, you are ready to move into the online process. This, unfortunately, will vary from employer to employer. Some will ask for an attachment, some will not accept an attachment; many will have a uniquely designed system that must be filled in, rather uniquely, every time. This can be agonizing, so here are a few insider tips:

Lose the fancy trimmings. Bullets, borders and italics, especially italics, often translate into very messy documents once they are squeezed through an online system. Though I nurse a passion for the “really pretty on paper” résumé, I concede that being able to read it is a little more vital. Now I keep a very clean, very simple résumé for the online systems, and a fancier version for those who still want the feel of good paper with a watermark in their hands.

Follow the directions very carefully. Failure to fill the correct data in the correct field can result in an unreadable document, and this is maddening to employers. Check your work thoroughly.

Fill in the optional fields as well. I am one of those annoying people who like to see whether optional fields really are “optional,” and I am surprised by the number of times there really is no option. This can be especially true of equal opportunity employer surveys and assessment tests, both usually listed as optional. They are not. Fill them in.

For those of you who are hiring managers or who know them, you can appreciate that your next employer may also be unhappy with online application systems. They can be just as frustrated by a system that eliminates applicants who are not able to get their résumé to attach or who didn’t fill out the “optional” fields. So my most important rule is:

If you cannot make the system work, contact the human resources office. Yes, it is still possible to talk with a human being if you spend a little time researching the phone number and wading through all the keypad choices that lead to a receptionist. Be persistent in this. It is not an indictment against your online savvy to get help; it is more of a commentary on the myriad ways these systems are being designed. You will probably find a sympathetic ear once you get to someone warm, live and human.

And finally, follow up. Send an e-mail, give a call, make sure your full application has been received. Follow up, but do not give up! Some employer is anxiously waiting for exactly what you have to offer.

Mary Lockman is the Worker Retraining Advisor for Seattle Central Community College. For more information regarding tuition assistance for working professionals, please contact Worker Retraining at 206-587-6310.

©2008 Caliope Publishing Company