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Job Hunting and Resumes

posted 11 months ago in Career

Member

2,891 posts

Sugar bee

MsBrooklynA Midwest

I have been looking for a new job for quite some time. I currently am employed so I'm not looking as hard as I probably should be. Currently, I am in limbo between getting a full time job or getting a better paying part time job and returning to school. If I can find a relatively good full time job I would like to do that.

This is my first round of applying for a full time job so I am pretty uneducated at resumes and tailoring my abilities to work for the new employers demands. I am looking for some advice from you lovely ladies to help myself even get a call back.

My first question is what is the best way to actually apply for a job. I'm from a relatively small metro area so this is not applying to a fortune 500 company. Most ask for resumes but in applying online you are entering most of your information in application style. Would it be more beneficial to mail or email the resume than to just fill out the form they are requesting? Also, do many companies use a computer screening program to look for the particular words they are looking for? I've heard that this happens so I've heard it is better to mail or drop off your resume.

Secondly, I'm so confused by cover letters. Should I include one? If I am including one what should it really say. They are pretty vague and I don't know what is the best way to represent myself to make me more eligible for the job. What about references? If they don't ask for them should I just wait to bring them to the interview?

Thirdly, how do I make myself more eligible for the job. Should I keep the resume extremely vanilla or attempt to add a slightly more appealing font or something else to draw the eyes in?

I am so new at this that I am completely open to any form of advice on how to keep a step above the rest. Especially with so many people applying for the same job I need to know how to better myself. If anyone is really good at this kind of thing, I would like to have someone look over the resume and give me some suggestions. (As long as you don't stalk me later ;))

11 months ago

Member

2,891 posts

Sugar bee

MsBrooklynA Midwest

Also, currently I am applying for a job that asks for me to fill out all previous work history but then has a place to copy and paste my resume. Should I fill in all of the little spots for previous employers or just allow them to check my resume?! WTF!

11 months ago

1,940 posts

Buzzing bee

EvaBostonTerrier July 3, 2010

Here's my opinion about your questions....

Fill out the online application. Often, there is a spot at the end to upload your resume. In my (limited) experience, companies generally have a standardize way of collecting applicants information, and they prefer to receive information in the way they request it. I believe some companies do use computer screening... however, keep in mind that if they only want online applications and you mail one, they might just throw it away without looking at it because you didn't follow the standardized protocol. You could always call the company and ask how they would prefer to receive your resume.

Cover letters should be specific to the job. There may be some information that is the same no matter what, but generally you will need to write a cover letter for each position you are applying for.

You may need to have multiple versions of your resume if you are applying to multiple types of jobs. For example, if someone is looking for experience in a certain area, and you have that experience, you should highlight that. A different company may want someone with a specific degree, and you'll want to focus on that instead. It is NOT recommended to use different fonts, colors, paper color, scented paper, etc. when applying for resumes.

You need to fill in all the information AND include the resume if that's what they are asking for. It's your responsibility to do the grunt work - you don't want to make the person who's reviewing the information job difficult - they aren't going to want to hire you then.

Good luck!

11 months ago

Member

2,891 posts

Sugar bee

MsBrooklynA Midwest

@EvaBostonTerrier: Thank you. It gets so exhausting doing this over and over again. It's extremely hard to remember to look at the little details every time.

11 months ago

Member

2,937 posts

Sugar bee

ellabee July 3, 2011 Virginia

@EvaBostonTerrier:I agree.

Also, use your networks. Do informational interviews and at the end, ask them who they think you should talk to about similar jobs to theirs.

Networking account for the majority of hires. (Unfortunately for me.)

11 months ago

Member

1,826 posts

Buzzing bee

Ms. Martian September 9, 2012 Ontario

Thirdly, how do I make myself more eligible for the job. Should I keep the resume extremely vanilla or attempt to add a slightly more appealing font or something else to draw the eyes in?

Speaking as someone who has screened resumes, don't do anything weird to your resume/cover letter. What I personally liked to see was a resume and cover letter that were nicely laid out and easy to read as well as ones that very clearly outlined how that person fit the job they were applying for.

They way I went about this when applying for jobs is I would pick out 3-5 of the most important qualifications (because that is really a wish list, no one is going to fit that list) and make sure that those were clearly and concisely included in my resume and cover letter.

To echo what ellabee said, network like crazy. Talk to everyone and then talk to more people. The field I was applying for was SUPER SUPER competitive and I had never experienced such difficulty in getting a job before, the only interviews I got were ones where I had a connection through someone I knew.

11 months ago