Let’ talk business. It’s a free market out there. Everyone wants nothing but the best for themselves which means ‘almost’ hardly counts. Let’s talk about you. You are either a good or a tool that employers need for provision of certain services. This only leaves you with one option, package and present yourself as the best.
Your CV and cover letter are the first contact point between you and that potential employer who receives hundred of applications. Why shouldn’t you go that extra mile to ‘wow!’ him or her and stand out of the crowd? Employers strive to spend the least time reviewing your CV and make a judgement whether you fall in the ‘good match’, ‘hmm may be’ or ‘no’ bucket.
Nobody has ever said that the job search process will be easy. The worst part of it; most employers don’t feel obligated to give feedback on your application. However, more often than not, you are the source of your own frustrations. How? You may ask. The following are reasons as to why you are not getting called for job interviews:-
You Are Not Following Application Instructions
Instructions are never optional especially when applying for a position. Woe unto you who only reads the job description, picks up the email and applies. May be they wanted applications made in PDF form and you did it in word, you just disqualified yourself.
Your Communication Skills Are Below Par
An employer can easily tell whether your CV and cover letter are generic. Every application should be customized for the role you are applying for as opposed to duplicating the old ones. Without lacing your application with grammatical errors, you will be able to stand out and possibly get through to the first rounds of the interview.
You Are Applying For The Wrong Jobs
Aim for the stars, if you fail, you’ll land on the moon. Quite an inspiring quote but not in this context. If you are not the right fit for a role, don’t assume the employer will consider your application or find you another role. Be keen and apply for roles that best suit your skills and expertise.
If you take the above into consideration and spend a little bit more time on each application before clicking the send button, the wait for a job interview shouldn’t be that long. In a perfectly fair world, an employer will review all applications page by page; make your application memorable to better your chances of getting that job.
About The Author
Kelvin works for Fuzu which is a talent management and recruitment company that lives up to its mantra ‘Dream. Grow. Be Found’ by being an online career companion to its users throughout their self discovery journey providing a variety of career resources to support their growth.
