Applying for jobs online
Emailing your application
Email is becoming the preferred method of sending documents and it is possible that you will end up making the majority of your applications by email rather than by post.
Generally speaking, there’s not too much difference between sending an application by post and sending an application by email:
- You still need to make an impact/
- You’re still competing against countless others for the reader’s attention.
- You still need to give them a compelling reason to read your CV.
However, there are certain practicalities which you need to deal with:
Subject line: never leave it blank! However, do keep it short and simple. You could just specify the job title and reference if applicable.
Form of address: Just because you’re sending an email, doesn’t mean that you start your email ‘Hi’. Start your email as you would with any professional letter.
Content: It is not recommended to send both your CV and cover letter as attachments. The chances of them getting read drop automatically. Place the contents of your cover letter in the body of your email.
Signature: Many people have an automated email ‘signature’ which goes out at the bottom of every email they send. Whatever your says, remember that it will be seen by potential employers. You might decide a a rewrite is in order!
Filenames: Don’t just call your CV ‘CV’. Make sure it contains your name, e.g. John Smith – CV. Organisations receive many files simply called ‘CV’. It’s easy for confusions to arise.
File format: Microsoft Word is the most universally accepted format for a document.
Typefaces
It is important to understand the differences between ‘serif’ and ‘sans serif’ typefaces.
A serif font has little flourishes or feet at the ends of some of the strokes that make up the letters and symbols within the typeface. The sans serif font doesn’t.
This is particularly noticeable on letters such as the capital ‘W’.
Serif fonts are generally recommended for text which is physically printed and read on paper, because they increase readability.
Sans serif fonts are usually recommended for electronic use.
CV databases and scanning software
Increasing numbers of organisations are turning to scanning and keyword-search software, due to the amount of CVs they get these days.
Scanning software is great at picking out CVs that best match the profile the user is targeting. If you have made an effort to write an outstanding CV from a human perspective, then it should also come across as an outstanding CV to scanning software. You have no idea whether or not the recipient will use scanning software so you have to cover every base in just one CV.S
Security issues online
You should be careful about submitting personal information online.
It is all too easy for fraudsters to set up fake, yet thoroughly convincing websites and invite people to submit their CVs for non-existent jobs. Alternatively, they might claim to be new jobsites and suggest you upload your CV for their database.
Video CVs
Many people believe that the written CV will be replaced by the ‘Video CV’ in the next decade. This is popular in the IT sector and marketing for obvious reasons.
They may just be seen as a gimmick and are unlikely to replace the traditional written CV.
Next week I’ll be looking at Linkedin and why it is so important.
