Your job application (including your cover letter, resume and responses to selection criteria) is often the first contact you’ll have with an employer.
If you submit a high quality, tailored and error-free application, you send a message to employers that you will be a professional, engaged worker with good attention to detail – a plus for any employer.
However, your application can send negative messages as well.
What does your application say about you?
My resume/application has spelling, grammar and other errors.
Employer: “Poor attention to detail; won’t be an asset to my business.”
My application is too long or not tailored to the job I’m applying for.
Employer: “They don’t know anything about my business so can’t be really interested in the job”.
My application does not look professional (for example it is not typed or formatted correctly).
Employer: “They haven’t put any effort in, so can’t be really interested in the job”.
I didn’t follow the instructions specified in the job ad. For example, I submitted a two page resume when the employer requested a one page resume, or I didn’t address the required selection criteria.
Employer: “They can’t even stick to the requirements in the application, so they won’t be able to follow instructions or take direction on the job”.
Employers look for candidates who understand their business. By submitting a tailored, high quality application, you can increase your chances of making a great first impression.
