5 Tips for Landing an Interview with an Online Job Application - CareerAlley

5 Tips for Landing an Interview with an Online Job Application - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Todays job search is almost entirely Internet-based. Whether you are looking for software engineering jobs available on LinkedIn or applying for a job on a job search board, it has become increasingly easier to apply for a job. You can apply for 20 jobs in the time it used to take to apply for 1 or 2 jobs. This is, of course, a double-edged sword and is the primary reason why most people feel that the hit rate (the actual number of interviews you get as compared to the number of job applications submitted) is very low. Any one job posting could have 100 (or 100s of applications). And the longer the job has been posted, the higher the number of applications will already have been sent. There are several key factors which can help you focus your search. source Keywords are key (no pun intended) So many applications, so little time. Many recruiters and companies use software to help them focus on the best matching applications. You should ensure that your resume and cover letter (see below) have the keywords that closely match the job description. This may require that you have multiple versions of your resume (see 5 Steps to a Great Resume versions). Review job listings for your title/position and make a list of keywords used (incorporate these into your resume) Review resume samples for your industry for keywords Visit trade industry sites for your field source Job Search Boards There are tons of job search boards and you dont need to be on all of them. Focus on a few and spend the rest of your time on the other three legs of job search (see The Four Legs of Job Search). Many jobs are posted on multiple job search boards (so less is more in this case). Also, as mentioned earlier, the older a job posting the more likely that many (probably too many) applications have already been submitted. While this does not mean that its a waste of time to submit your application, you should focus on job postings from the last few days. If youve run out of more current postings, then submitting to older postings is certainly worth considering. Budget the amount of time you spend on job search sites. While it may seem like you are being productive applying to many jobs via job boards, you need to understand how to maximize the time spent applying online. There are literally thousands of job sites on the web, but the best job boards and job search engine sites have search tools that are quick and easy to use and allow you to search based on the type of job youre looking for, your location, and other criteria. Alison Doyle Are You Qualified? No sense applying for a job online if you are not qualified. Dont be sucked into I can do that, stick to what you know and can do based on your experience. Read the job description and compare it to your experience Dont worry if you are a few years shy of the number of years experience required. However, if you are 10 years short of the required experience, you probably shouldnt waste your time applying How do your skills compare to the requirements? Look for at least a 60% to 75% match as a criterion for applying Accomplishments are a huge factor if youve already done what they are looking for the candidate to do this is a very good match apply. Cover Letters May seem old school to you, but cover letters are still very important to your job search, especially when applying online (see 10 Cover Letter Tips). Whenever you apply for a job position through a job search board or company career site, you really should include a cover letter so that the hiring manager knows there is a match between your skill set, experience, and the job opportunity. Tweet This Make each cover letter original This is a perfect example of where cutting corners does not work in your favor. Spend the time on personalizing the cover letter to each application. Mentioning the title of the job and briefly indicate why you are the perfect candidate Add something specific to the job description so that the reader will know that you are qualified for the job Try to address the cover letter to the hiring manager if you can find out their name Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash Answer All of the Questions (correctly) An incomplete application with grammatical errors will not get you an interview. Complete the app in the same way you would participate in an interview. The online job app is not a formality, it is one of the key components in deciding if you get an interview. Answer all of the questions completely To the extent possible, use the same keywords you used in your resume and cover letter If you reuse information used in other applications, ensure it is cleansed of information related to other applications Check for spelling and grammatical errors What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to launch your career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search