Perhaps my least favorite part of my job is having to turn people away. I spent many years receiving rejection emails for jobs I was applying to. Not only was it frustrating, it was downright depressing at times. I know I believe in myself to be great at this job, but why can’t they see that? Whether you’re working for our business or not, I want people to be successful. I’ve put together a list of 8 tips to help you when applying/interviewing for jobs. You don’t have to take the time to read this, and I didn’t have to take the time to write it, but I believe if you put forth the effort to learn and implement these tips you will see success in your job hunt.
8 Tips When Applying for a Job
Follow Instructions
For our application process, we asked for website questions, resume, and references- so do it! If you don’t follow initial instructions your application might end right there.
Make an Effort/Stand Out!
The website questions are your chance to stand out more than a resume. Look at the two examples below, which of these would you be more likely to hire? Thorough answers show you care and are taking it seriously, and they help us get to know you. We mention a couple different times that we receive around 100 applications - how are you going to stand out? You are better off putting extra effort into 2-3 job applications than blasting your resume to 100 places.
For resume: the vast majority of resumes we receive are the standard resume template available on Pages or MS Word. Even changing formatting, while keeping it professional, can break the monotony. Avoid generalizations and use action verbs/numbers where you can. Instead of saying you’re a hard-worker, say you worked at a fast-paced cafe serving over 300 customer per day. When you can apply numbers and specific examples of your successes, those things stand out.
Additional note- save your resume as a PDF before sending. This assures it will be able to open regardless of computer type. If it doesn’t send properly, or someone sends a password protected Google Doc (without telling me the password), you’re creating more work for the person doing the hiring so you’re likely getting bumped to the back of the line.
Additional, additional note- REMEMBER TO ATTACH YOUR RESUME. Very easy mistake to make, I do this regularly with email attachments, but here is your reminder to always double check that when you say “resume below”, that it’s there.
3. Apply for THIS job
Next level applicants have customized resumes. They mention “seeking summer position at The Chill Spot” or something that shows they took the few extra minutes to target this job specifically. The files are often saved as “Chill Spot - *name” in the attachment. Their introduction email mentions our business name and how they’re excited for the opportunity to be considered for the job at _____________. Again, look at the pictures below as if you were a hiring manager. Which of the 2 stands out more to you?
4. Ask yourself, what does this job entail?
Because that’s what the hiring person wants to see highlighted. This is an ice cream job dealing with customers (primarily families/children) - emphasize your experience with that. Even if you have limited food/bev experience, explain how the experiences you do have can translate to good customer service or making people smile. If you have relevant experience, talk about how well you can handle a rush during peak hours or a time you have gone above and beyond for a customer.
5. Be professional
You can be professional and still show personality. For a job at an ice cream shop, I want to see that you are cheery and fun, but also responsible and trustworthy. Check your website questionnaire and resume for typos, poor grammar, and foul language (more so in interviews). If you are to get an interview, dress like you care. I have had far too many straight-out-of-bed video interviews, or worse, still in bed. This doesn’t have to mean suit and tie, especially for a position like ours, but you are dealing with the public and representing the business- so be presentable and show you can do that well. Take the calls in appropriate places with backgrounds that aren’t distracting. Be stationary, not holding phone and moving around. All of these things show respect for the position and that’s what they want to see.
6. Ask questions
At the end of the interview have 2-3 questions to ask. This shows you have thought about this job and didn’t just stumble into a random interview. Can be as simple as “what does a typical day look like?” Or “what’s your favorite part about working at ________?” These are also questions that will give you a much better understanding of the position to be sure it is a good fit for you. Finish by asking what the next step of the process is. This helps you so you know what to expect, and shows you’re eager for the next stage of the process. Something I have asked in interviews is: “based on your other interviews you’ve conducted, do you have any hesitations withe me as an applicant? If so, I’d love to be able to address those now.” …. this is kind of aggressive, and you need to be ready to take feedback and discuss, but it takes a lot of the ambiguity out of the situation.
7. Be on time!
Many of you are applying for seasonal jobs. Be sure you are very aware of timezone differences and be ready for the call when it’s set to begin. When you are late, that shows poor time management skills and, whether you mean to or not, it says that you think your time is more valuable than the person interviewing you. Both of those things will cost you the job offer. If you have to cancel or reschedule your interview for some reason, communicate that well and as early as possible. Last minute cancellations and no-shows put you at a major disadvantage if you continue to pursue the position.
8. Thank you and follow up emails!
You are given a contact email of a person doing the hiring. I do hundreds of interviews, and a very, very small percentage send a thank you email after. One person didn’t have a great first round interview, perhaps some nerves, but they weren’t going to get a second round interview. After our first interview they sent a kind and professional email thanking me for taking the time to interview them. That email got them a second interview. And the second one they were much more relaxed and ultimately got the job. Nice introduction email at the start of process, paired with nice thank you email after interview, and now the hiring manager has seen your name more than 90+% of applicants and they will remember that.
All of these things require more effort, and that’s why most people don’t do them. But those who do, get the job. Blasting a generic, non curated resume to 100 businesses gets 100 rejections and it’s not because those businesses aren’t hiring, it’s because that is what the masses do. The 10% that go beyond are getting the ones getting the jobs you want. Close to 100 people received a link to this webpage. If you read this far you are likely in the <10% that took the time to. If you apply these, you will be in the 10% that are getting the jobs you want.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this and I hope you know that I truly wish you success.
-Ryan