5 Tips to Nail an Online Job Application
Updated: May 27, 2020
Source: Career Alley
Today’s job search is almost entirely Internet-based. Whether you are looking for software engineering jobs available on LinkedIn or applying for a job on a job search board, it has become increasingly easier to apply for a job. You can apply for 20 jobs in the time it used to take to apply for 1 or 2 jobs. This is, of course, a double-edged sword and is the primary reason why most people feel that the “hit rate” (the actual number of interviews you get as compared to the number of job applications submitted) is very low. Any one job posting could have 100 (or 100’s of applications). And the longer the job has been posted, the higher the number of applications will already have been sent. There are several key factors which can help you focus your search.
Keywords are key (no pun intended)
So many applications, so little time. Many recruiters and companies use software to help them focus on the best matching applications. You should ensure that your resume and cover letter (see below) have the keywords that closely match the job description. This may require that you have multiple versions of your resume (see 5 Steps to a Great Resume – versions).
Review job listings for your title/position and make a list of keywords used (incorporate these into your resume)
Review resume samples for your industry for keywords
Visit trade industry sites for your field
Job Search Boards
There are tons of job search boards and you don’t need to be on all of them. Focus on a few and spend the rest of your time on the other “three legs of job search” (see The Four Legs of Job Search). Many jobs are posted on multiple job search boards (so less is more in this case). Also, as mentioned earlier, the older a job posting the more likely that many (probably too many) applications have already been submitted. While this does not mean that it’s a waste of time to submit your application, you should focus on job postings from the last few days. If you’ve “run out” of more current postings, then submitting to older postings is certainly worth considering.
Budget the amount of time you spend on job search sites.
While it may seem like you are being productive applying to many jobs via job boards, you need to understand how to maximize the time spent applying online.
“There are literally thousands of job sites on the web, but the best job boards and job search engine sites have search tools that are quick and easy to use and allow you to search based on the type of job you’re looking for, your location, and other criteria.” – Alison Doyle
Are You Qualified?
No sense applying for a job online if you are not qualified. Don’t be sucked into “I can do that”, stick to what you know and can do based on your experience.
Read the job description and compare it to your experience
Don’t worry if you are a few years shy of the number of years experience required. However, if you are 10 years short of the required experience, you probably shouldn’t waste your time applying
How do your skills compare to the requirements? Look for at least a 60% to 75% match as a criterion for applying
Accomplishments are a huge factor – if you’ve already done what they are looking for the candidate to do – this is a very good match – apply.
Cover Letters
May seem “old school” to you, but cover letters are still very important to your job search, especially when applying online (see 10 Cover Letter Tips).