Unsuccessful applications
Are you not getting the jobs you want? Indeed, are you not even getting any job interviews? Let's look at some of the common reasons for a lack of job hunting success and some possible remedies.
Not explicitly meeting the job requirements
Restricted job search
Being overly picky about where you are prepared to work could seriously undermine your chances of success. If your circumstances don’t dictate the location, consider looking further afield, especially for your first graduate job. Once you have gained the necessary experience, it will become easier to secure a position at your preferred location.
Consider whether you are ruling out non-specialist employers without good reason. There are IT, marketing and public relations roles (to name a few) in all manner of organisations which are better known for something else, for example; local government bodies and educational institutions. Would-be solicitors frequently miss out on training contracts they might have obtained “in house” with major firms whose commercial focus is not law.
Look also at the sources you use for job hunting. Are there more websites, newspapers, periodicals or agencies out there? See our pages on finding vacancies. Could you be more proactive and approach employers speculatively? See our information on making speculative applications and finding employers.
Bad timing
Although there are lots of employers who are happy to receive speculative applications, some organisations have a strict recruitment schedule. You need to research your chosen area of work and the firms within it. Ideally you should do this at least a year before you graduate, but if you didn’t, try doing it now. Our occupations pages provide an introduction to many different job sectors out there. If you are in your final year, take a look at the calendar of action for final year students.
Incorrect starting point
Consider whether you have chosen the right firms or the right level of work for your chosen industry. Look at the specific requirements for the job; whether in the vacancy advertisement, or the person specification which accompanies the job description. Research the typical requirements for a particular job and its related roles. Prospects' types of jobs is useful for this.
If everything seems to require a level of experience which you lack, consider how to address this. Perhaps taking a job at a lower level is the answer, or it may be that voluntary work, a work experience placement or a course will help. Contact a careers counsellor if you need help working this out.
Not explicitly meeting the job requirements
Most firms will supply you with a job description and person specification to help you with your job application. The job description tells you what you will do if you are hired, the person specification tells you the qualities which the employer requires you to demonstrate in order to be the successful candidate.
You should study the person specification very carefully before you start to write your job application. It is usually divided into two parts;
- Essential requirements - sometimes expressed as, “The successful candidate will/must…”. These are the qualifications, experience, skills and personal qualities which you absolutely must mention in your application in order to reach the next round of the selection process.
- Desirable requirements – sometimes expressed as, “The successful candidate will preferably…”.These cover the things which the employer would like to see in a perfect candidate, but which are not absolutely necessary for the job. Since perfect candidates do not exist, don't worry if you cannot meet all the desirable requirements. However, you boost your chances of success with every desirable quality that you do demonstrate.
Smaller firms may not provide a person specification, but careful reading of the job advertisement will highlight the essential and desirable requirements. The terms “must”, “will” and “preferably” will indicate which requirements are key and which less so.
When writing your application you need to make sure that you explicitly evidence how you meet the essential requirements (and desirable requirements, where possible). Instead of the bland assertion “I have excellent communication skills”, you should provide evidence, e.g. “I developed high-level communication skills during the year I spent teaching English to young children in Nepal. This involved…” etc...
Before you send off your application, check through to make sure that you have indeed met all of the necessary requirements.
Our pages on application forms and writing your CV will be useful here.
Poor presentation
Lastly we come to something which can ruin any application, especially if you have told the employer about your meticulous attention to detail!
If you are using a computer, you will doubtless use it to check your spelling and grammar. This will identify many mistakes, but remember that many word processing packages will not recognise the difference between two words which are in the dictionary and make grammatical sense; so if you write “curse” but you mean “course”, don’t expect your software to tell you!
Another 'false friend' is the cut-and-paste facility. This may be quick, but it causes chaos if not used with care. You may end up:
- repeating yourself
- writing a garbled statement where one part does not logically follow on from that which preceded it
- inserting fonts and sizes which are inconsistent with the rest, so that your job application looks untidy and becomes difficult to read
- telling Employer B why you are so keen to work for Employer A (their rivals to whom you applied the previous week
Even if you are submitting a handwritten application, you can still let yourself down with untidy handwriting or by ignoring instructions, e.g. to use black ink or block capitals.
Ignoring instructions is a common reason for an application being rejected. Be careful to ascertain exactly what information the employer requires and how they wish you to present it. Your answers must correspond with what you were actually asked, not what you thought the employer might like to know.
Once you are satisfied with your application, ask a friend to read it, or consult a careers counsellor. Never rely entirely on your own judgement, you will frequently see only what you think you wrote.