How to Apply for a Job
Times have changed. That is for sure. Applying for a job or education is different than 20, 10, or even five years ago. I do want to acknowledge that the demands from employers have increased but as an annoyingly optimistic person, I do want to remind about the possibilities we have now - one being the freedom to be more like you, to show your personality. With +10 years of work experience, I have lived the times when it was encouraged as a new thing to put a few sentences about your hobbies to your CV to show a more complete version of yourself. CVs were way more simple, boring, and in many ways limited compared to these days. One might take the new situation as a demand - we need to compete even with the CVs - but with the technology we have around us, we do not need to make this complicated. And if you are not good with tech, try to find a person like me, who loves to do creative (and organize) things for others. Note! This is not an advertisement to contact me :)
Today's post is about ''How to Apply for a Job'', meaning I want to offer you some practical tips together with a hint of hope for the process. Even though I'm an extremely optimistic person, I do know that the process is tough and frustrating at times. More than 10 years of work (and study) life means hundreds and hundreds of applications (remember from a previous post that the PhD alone took 28 emails I sent), but also experience from around 10 different positions (and from four educations), excluding the opportunities for what I have said no. There is hope and you need only one yes. Sometimes a little cry as well. But then the world will smile again.
Next, I'll cover topics like CV, cover letter, LinkedIn, and interview - from a more general perspective (if you are applying for jobs with special skills e.g. coding, I highly recommend you to search information what is recommended, e.g. in case of coding, it could be the use of GitHub to show your skills). The following text is not an absolute and only truth existing. If you feel that you would like to do differently or you have experienced that something else works, listen to that. My only wish is that this will either help you organize your thoughts, become aware of the process, or get inspired. Let's get started!
CV
If possible, try to fit it into 1-2 pages (academic CVs might be longer in case of including the long list of relevant publications). To make your life easier and also help you with harmony (colors, structure, etc.), use ready-made templates. There are several options for this, but probably one of the most popular ones is Canva. In addition to the basic information (name, contact details, and possible LinkedIn profile), you could add headings like Profile, Education, Work Experience, Volunteer Work, Competences, Certificates, and References (and Publications if you have some).
Instead of just listing the education and work experience (position and organization), first of all, remember to add for how long you have the experience from there (e.g. 1/2024 - 9/2024, 9 months). Secondly, add a few bullet points about the work you did and what skills it needed (e.g. ''I conducted quality control by testing...'' and ''The position demanded high accuracy...''). These bullet points can be with a lighter color, giving the illusion of space on the page. When comes to competence, I would recommend having subheadings like Technical Skills, IT Skills, Soft Skills, and Languages. In the case of publications, choose the few most important for the position (not for you), and add similar information as you have in your work experience (your contribution and what they show about you as a worker). If you have references, remember to ask those people before adding them as some employers really call them.
About the picture in the CV. That is up to you, the norms in your country, and possibly what the organization asks for. We have lived the era of not having the picture, went for always having the picture, and maybe now to 50/50 having or not having the picture.
Cover letter
Not always necessary. Especially if you have contacted the people via phone or seen them before sending your CV, they might be fine without - just add some words to the email you will send and show your enthusiasm (e.g. You can mention that it was nice to meet them and you are grateful for the opportunity to join the team, that you have attached the CV to this email and that you are looking forward to hear back from them).
However, sometimes necessary. And a good way to show you are aware of what you are applying for. Have around 3-4 paragraphs on one page, the first one being the most important to catch the attention and the last one indicating your availability (for a job and for a chat about the job) and again your enthusiasm for the position. In the first chapter, briefly introduce yourself (as shortly as possible as they have your CV already) and indicate why you are applying for this specific position. Show that you are aware of what they are looking for and why it makes you motivated to apply it. In the middle chapters, you can go a little bit more into the details of how your experience aligns with their expectations. What do you bring to the table and what are you looking for (what they offer that supports you for example to grow in your career).
Try to keep things short. If they have hundreds of applicants, they might not have time to read everything thoroughly. And be you. If you try just to please them, I can guarantee they have multiple similar applications. As a bonus tip, a subheading between the paragraphs might help the reader (also if you use the same colors as in your CV, it could look nice).
Once you do this thoroughly, it will be just updating it later. Of course, you can become more visible (which can lead to more possibilities) if you stay active there, but like with all social media - everything is not for everyone. You can also use it just for its original purpose - to have a public CV, create career-network, and follow the job market. Be aware of the fact that many people use LinkedIn as a marketing channel for them (which is fair as we humans often seek acceptance) meaning that you will often see people posting about their career goals rather than their challenges.
As you may guess the structure of your LinkedIn profile is similar to the CV, meaning similar rules apply for example when writing about your work experience or education. The additional benefit that LinkedIn offers is to add links. Simple, but beneficial in the case of someone being extremely curious about your previous workplace. I would also recommend adding your skills to the skill section which helps with your visibility. After creating your bio (''about'') and adding all the necessary information, start connecting with people. This is something I can see people are sometimes a little bit shy with (e.g. ''Can I connect with the person who is in a higher position in the company.''). Of course, it is easier to connect with people you really know (would recommend starting from there), but it is also the place to expand your network (would still recommend to think how you would like your network to look alike, so you have more targeted audience and also your own exposure to things). A good way to connect with people who are still a bit unknown to you is if you have seen their talk, paper, or work that interests you, to send a short message about it with the invitation to connect. This way you show why you want to connect and that you share some interests. And keep in mind that sometimes it is worth trying and if it doesn't work out, it might work out later or maybe that wasn't the connection you needed.
Interview
Prepare for the interview. They are giving you their valuable time (as are you) and they are truly interested in getting to know you. They have invited you to the interview for a reason. It is not all that matters, but I would pay attention to how to dress up and of course, this might depend on what kind of position you have applied for. Typically nothing too fancy, but something clean and neat - how we look is not something that would define if you get a job or not, but people tend to pay attention to these things, so why not take a benefit from that. More importantly, be on time and be prepared. Have the documents ready if they have requested and do some research about the organization (and the position) once more - it helps you to organize your mind and also shows that you know what you applied for.
Another preparation you could do is to think beforehand about what they could ask in the interview. Some questions might be surprising, but many questions will be used regardless of the company or position. These include, but are not limited to: ''Can you tell something about yourself and your work experience?'', ''What made you to apply for this position?'', ''What makes you a good candidate for the position?'', ''How do you work in the team?'', ''What are your limitations as an employee?'', and ''Where do you see yourself in five years?''. First of all, remember to be you while aligning everything with the expectations from them. Meaning that talk in a way you talk, tell them what you really think, and always connect your answer to things they are looking for. In addition, a good way to answer is to tell short stories rather than just reply straight to the question. So when replying, give a real-life example of how this has been visible in your career. And ask questions. This interview is not only for them to see you, it is also an opportunity for you to see the organization from close by and make a decision if you want to be there. If they ask ''What makes you a good candidate for this position?'', you can continue after answering by asking for example if the position offers certain challenges that give you motivation.
The recommendation for answering the question about your limitations has changed over time. Back in the day, it was recommended to turn negative into positive for example by saying ''I tend to work so much, that I need to pay a lot of attention to my recovery in my free time.''. I wouldn't do this anymore as it is quite obvious what you are doing. But it might be just a taste-thing. Anyway, I would prefer going with a more honest answer, but with nothing too serious or a thing that you would not be able to handle. It can be something you used to be really bad at, but you have become better and still have a little bit of work to do while pointing out that you are aware of what helps you to overcome that (maybe something they are actually offering). For example, if they have mentioned that they have weekly brainstorming meetings, you could mention that you were happy to learn about this as you sometimes work for too long with the problem and would benefit from other perspectives that you could get from these meetings. This way you show you are aware of your own limitations, but you also know what helps with it.
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