It is almost impossible to get a job without first getting
an interview. As such, in the first phase of your job application process, you
should really focus on securing an interview for these reasons:
- You can't get a job without getting an interview first.
- During the interview process, you will have a chance to
meet and impress people who might eventually hire you for another position
than the one for which you are interviewing.
How Do You Get an Interview?
Write an In-depth and Personal Cover Letter Write an
In-depth and Personal Cover Letter Write an In-depth and Personal Cover Letter
Write an In-depth and Personal Cover Letter Write an In-depth and Personal Cover
Letter
Get your cover letter in the mail as quickly as possible
after the job posting is first made public. This makes a good impression and
probably assures you a better chance of being considered for the position.
Don't be afraid to fax a cover letter/writing
sample/resume, and promise to send the original by mail. This not only can be
faster, but it also gets your name in front of the resume reader twice, which
helps to build your name recognition!
If you have a friend or contact in the organization, call
him/her to get any information, and be sure to mention that connection in your
cover letter.
For openings posted in the middle of the week, act
especially promptly to send out cover letters. The stack of mail on Monday is
three times as high as the stack of mail on Friday, so a resume received just
one workday earlier is more likely to be read!
If you are particularly interested in a job, spend fifteen
minutes on the Internet to see if you can find out anything about an employer.
Candidates who show some familiarity with an organization are much more likely
to get interviews than candidates with more generic cover letters.
Don't be afraid to apply for a position for which you
might be overqualified, or for which you might not be so interested. It's hard
to be certain about what a job will be like until you can ask some questions.
During an interview, you will have the opportunity to impress the interviewer
and might inspire him or her to consider you for an unannounced, perhaps
higher-level position.
In addition to a resume, be sure to include a pertinent
writing sample, even if they don't ask for it. Writing samples give an employer
a sense of your writing abilities and can make a more "personal"
impression than a resume alone.
Place a Follow-Up Call
A few days after you fax or mail your resume, call to make sure they've received
it - even if the job announcement said "no calls please." If you think
you are speaking to a person who is actually going to be part of the
interviewing process, be sure to communicate your enthusiasm to come in for an
interview.
Also, feel free to ask them what sort of timetable they
are looking at for the interviewing process. This gives you a feel for how you
will need to follow up. It also impresses some employers as a sign of
professionalism. Equally important, it means that you spend another fifteen
seconds on the phone with them, and every second of exposure will help them to
remember you!
Invoke Influential Contacts
Don't be afraid to make contact with people at the organization if you have some
kind of personal connection to them. Even if a "friend of a friend" is
an employee or a board member, feel free to call them or preferably have your
contact make the call. Tell them that you've recently applied for a position at
that organization and mention to them that your friend had recommended you call
them just to get a better idea of what exactly the organization does. Keep the
phone call short - typically two minutes or so- but if
the conversation goes well, they might drop the hiring decision-maker a note or
a voice mail saying "I talked to applicant Suzie Q for the project
coordinator position and she seemed like a good candidate . . ."
Place an Additional Follow-Up Call
Depending on the content of your first conversation, feel free to call an
employer after approximately seven to ten workdays in order to find out where in
the process they might be. Again repeat to them that you are interested in the
organization and the position. Unless an employer has been explicit about not
wanting additional follow-up, promise to follow up with them at a time that
seems appropriate. By communicating to employers that you'll follow up with
them, you are conveying two things to them: 1) You are proactive, and 2) You
value the position and the organization (this not only makes you a more
appealing candidate, but is also flattering to them and can make employers think
more kindly of you!).
A Note to the Weary: Be Persistent!
Most job searchers are hesitant about following up repeatedly with potential
employers. Always show tact and patience, but don't be afraid to knock on doors
regularly. Although many employers won't return phone calls promptly (or even at
all), they will acknowledge in their mind that the calls have been made.
Persistence communicates to an employer that you like the opening and you like
their organization, both of which help you in the job application process.
Furthermore, each time that your name crosses a hiring manager's desk, you are
more likely to distinguish yourself from all the other faceless job seekers, and
that's a crucial part of getting an interview!
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