Once you have narrowed down your search and have found positions matching your qualifications and criteria, it’s time to submit your application.
The majority of businesses today are utilizing their corporate website or job search sites like LinkedIn, CareerBuilder or Monster to allow applicants to submit their contact details, cover letter and resume directly on their site. Some online applications are far from quick and easy; it may seem you are retyping everything from your resume; but that in of itself is part of the review process and can really tell an employer a lot about the applicant.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when submitting a lengthy online application:
Take your time
You are under review by recruiters, HR and hiring managers the second you submit your application. Take your time reviewing each required field and entering in the correct information. This will minimize spelling or grammatical errors. Some online apps allow you to save your application and complete it at another time. Step away, if needed and come back to it later. Applicants are not scored on how long it took to submit an application so take your time to make sure your information is thorough and correct before you submit your application!
Do not use “See Resume” in ANY field
“See Resume” may reflect negatively and you may be falsely perceived as someone who takes shortcuts and rushes through a process. You want an employer to take you seriously so make sure you are also taking the application process seriously.
Review before you submit!
Most online applications allow you to review your information prior to sending your information to your prospective employer. Use this step to read through your answers to make sure your information is accurate and clear.
You should also verify any attachments you are including such as your cover letter, resume or portfolio to ensure the company name, position title, the name of the file and any other customization is correct. Nothing says “I want to work for you” better than naming the file of your resume as another company (yes, that was sarcasm).
Creating a User Account to apply
The online application process may also require you to create a new account using your email and a password you create in order to submit your application, search the database for new openings or to create job alerts when new positions become available. You may be thinking “Great, another 10+ passwords to memorize!” but there are tools you can use to stay organized. Here are a few ideas to keep your accounts in order:
- Create a spreadsheet with the company name, position name, job number, date applied, username and password for each online application you submitted.
- Create a unique password for each position and use keywords from the position you are applying for to help you remember it while still keeping your password secure.
- If you are printing out each position you are applying for – write your username and password on the hard copy and keep it in a folder with all of your applied positions.
- You can use the same password for each online account created however keep in mind this also opens up security risks and could potentially give hackers access to other personal accounts.
Congrats! You just submitted your online application….Now What?!
Most businesses will review an internal referral before other applicants. So before you move onto the next application – Network! Use job search sites like LinkedIn to find out if you are connected with anyone at that organization. If so – ask them for an introduction to the hiring manager (via LinkedIn) or ask them to put in a recommendation to the hiring manager. The more channels you can leverage to get your name out there – the more likely you will be to get a call-back from the employer.
Click HERE to download our "Tips for Using an Applicant Tracking Ststem (ATS)"
Click HERE to download our "Tips for Using an Applicant Tracking Ststem (ATS)"