Wizard's Secrets - Applying for a Job - the Wizard of Jobs
Wizard's Secrets
for Applying for a Job
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
I. TELL THEM YOU'RE WHO THEY WANT!
Let's take an example:
You are responding to a newspaper ad or a job-lead,
and the company is asking that applicants come by, in person, to fill out an
application.
As you go to the counter to request an application,
you also ASK FOR A COPY OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION,
so you can do the best job at matching what you tell them to what they're looking
for.
Under "duties" for each job you list under the Work
History section, you ONLY tell them what they say they're looking for in the
Job Description. You must throw everything else out, because it
is unnecessary "clutter", and is just getting in the way.
Realize that you only are going
to get between 10 and 30 seconds of their time, and if you don't show
them that you're a top candidate in that small window of time, you will
have missed your opportunity, and you will almost CERTAINLY be eliminated!
So, once you're done, and ready to turn in the completed
application, you need to ask, "What else can I give you?" They
may be a bit surprised, so be ready to explain.
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II. ASK; "WHAT ELSE CAN I GIVE YOU?"
Now, think about what they
will need to know in order to hire you...
... (and remember, up to this point, they only know what's on your Job Application)...
Wouldn't it GREATLY increase your chances if they knew:
- More about your specific job skills, abilities and
experience in the field?
- Examples of your Job Performance Ratings from your previous
Employers?
- What your former Bosses have to say about your work?
- How to contact your References?
Everyone else, all 50-to-5,000 or more other applicants for
this particular job, have only turned in their basic Application.
Here's where you outperform them, and move in to score the job!
TRY THIS:
ASK; "WHAT ELSE CAN I GIVE YOU?"
By this, you mean; Will they accept any
(or all) of the following:
- Your (Job-or-Field-specific) Resume
- Your References List (Professional References,
at least; & Personal References, if Applicable)
- Copies of your past Job Performance Appraisals
- Copies of Letters of Recommendation from former Employers
- Copies of examples of your work (only if "paper" examples
will suffice),
- maybe even a copy of a 3-ring "Portfolio" of examples of
your work...
Yes, this requires lots of advanced preparation,
but the potential payoff is HUGE!
If they accept ANY or ALL of the above examples, you
are suddenly way ahead of the competition! How far ahead?
A couple of days or more, since it will take at least that long for others to
respond to the Employers' requests for Resumes, References, etc.
You've just beat them ALL to the punch! The employer now has more
information about you than anybody else. They probably have
all they need to call you in for an interview, maybe enough to offer you the
job!
...And all you did was ask, "What else can I give you?"
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III. APPLY EVERY WAY POSSIBLE:
If the employer states that they would like you to submit a Resume...
...find out how many different ways they will accept
your Resume.
For example, IF the Employer states that you can either:
- Drop by a Resume - Mail a
Resume - Fax a Resume, or - e-mail
a Resume....
WHY NOT DO THEM ALL?
This can accomplish several things for you:
1. Increase your chances that your Resume gets into
the right hands.
2. Put your Resume in front of more people, increasing
the chances you'll be noticed and that someone will become interested in what
you have to offer...
3. Show the Employer that you're already a motivated,
Hard Worker!
Of course, if there is only ONE method, or if you have
to choose ONLY one, the BEST one of all is to drop the Resume by.
But be sure to be dressed professionally, and be ready for an impromptu interview
- should they be able to fit you in at the spur-of-the-moment.
IV. MAKE SURE THE EMPLOYER SEES
WHAT YOU'VE GOT!
Let's say you are filing out an Application,
and they give you instructions to list your Work History starting with your
current or most recent Employer, and then working chronologically backwards,
down the list. (List the "previous job", etc., etc..)
Let's further complicate the scenario, by having "the Job"
you're applying for is in a field which you have not worked in for several years.
If you follow their instructions and do the Work History "list" as
requested, they may never get down to where they'll see what you really have
to offer them. Of course, you don't
want to NOT follow their instructions!
I mean, if you can't even follow simple instructions filling
out an Application, do you think they'll assume you'll follow instructions on
the job? You're stuck! What to do?
TRY THIS:
GET A NEW, CLEAN
YELLOW HIGHLIGHTER PEN...
...and simply
Highlight those Jobs or specific items that you want to make SURE they notice!
I guarantee you that they WILL look at them
- and you WILL get noticed! Why? Because you're
doing a GREAT job of "Telling them what they need to know", and you're making
their job candidate selection process much easier!
By the way, there's no need to do this highlighting
on your Resume. On your Resume, you can move things around
to improve your presentation, to market yourself more effectively.
On a Resume you could move this "old" Job to the top of the Work History list,
if you'd like. Or better yet, you could do a "Skills Based" Resume.
to: Skills-Based Resume Template
THE TOP RULE FOR WINNING
A JOB INTERVIEW SLOT IS:
"MARKET YOURSELF AND YOUR SKILLS TO
MATCH WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR...
TO SHOW THEM YOU'RE WHO THEY'RE
LOOKING FOR!"
Be sure to package what you tell
them to best match what the Employer says they are looking for in the Job
Description, and include whatever makes you look good.
But don't necessarily play ALL of the cards in your hand!
If you DO tell them
too much... you may hear the phrase
"You're OVERQUALIFIED". If
you EVER hear this, you are giving them TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
Scale it back, and you won't disqualify yourself from being
considered for the job!
Think
about this from THEIR point-of-view...
Why would they hire you to do a job where you would
have to work way beneath your proven abilities, and also be grossly underpaid?
How long would they expect you to stick around?
How could you be happy getting hired for this job and receiving a "demotion"?
...And even IF they hired you, they probably assume that you'll leave as soon
as a better opportunity comes around!
Play the MATCH GAME
So... play your cards to specifically match what they're
looking for - MATCH YOURSELF to the skills and duties they
list in their Job Description - and match your previous job titles as closely
as you can, too. For instance, if you had more than one Job
Title at that previous job you're listing, use the ONE specific Job Title
that best matches what they say they are looking for!
STAY FOCUSED! - Don't waste
your golden opportunity by telling them the details about ANYTHING that's not
related to what they're looking for! Mentioning a bunch of the skills
or duties you performed at a previous job, IF none of them are identical
or similar to those of the job you are applying for, is like playing Job
Application Russian Roulette!
Remember...
You're not a "Job-Seeker", you're an "Employment-Marketer".
Market yourself to Employers by... "telling them
WHAT they want to hear, based on WHO you are, what you've DONE, and what you
CAN DO for them!".
When you DO this, you'll find yourself being called in
for Interviews - when many others are NOT!
...And whoever
scores the Job Interview has a far greater chance of landing the JOB!
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Copyright 2007
by the Wizard of Jobs
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