Help me help you get hired!

Dear X,

I have to say I am sorry for not processing your applications further. The further your candidacy goes in our recruitment process, trust me, the harder the decision is for us. My job is to match your skills, your experience and your ambition with what the company is open at the moment. More importantly, I seek clues to see the potential side in you, another version of you that maybe five or ten years from now, you’d never imagine that you would become with us. So, why don’t you help making my job easier? Here is how.

1. Be consistent in your career choice!

Not job, but career I put here. By that I mean “do not apply to multiple jobs with ONE application”. Even though many recruiters welcome applications that applied for several roles, I personally think it is not a smart way to getting noticed. Oh yes, indeed, you were noticed on our system how many jobs you have applied to. As my job is to matching profile with current vacancies, I will redirect your application to where I see best fit without being asked. Instead of thinking you are a superman who fits all of them, I rather doubt about your career plan which is very important for me to learn. Applying many posts indicates your unclear vision of your career. That I don’t think you want to mess up.

2. Your cover letter does matter. Customize it!

I know that some recruiters will skip cover letters. Not me. I would love to read them. I have been a candidate just like you. I remember how careful I was reading the job description and requirements in order to write a cover letter dedicated only for that job. Therefore, I understand how much efforts you spent on tailoring your cover letter. Your cover letter will tell me if you understand the job well enough and how your experience relevant to it. Oh, if I find some mistakes on addressing my name or the company’s name, you know how I feel. So, do not forget to make yourself shine from your cover letter. That’s how you score at the first round!

3. Do your homework before the interview!

As a recruiter, I am curious to find out how much you know about the company that you will spend third of your life with (say, if they are successful in retaining you). Not only about the job function, but the whole business of the company, their competitors and challenges. I was impressed by a few candidates who shared their thoughts about some threats for our business, be it human-factor or economics based.

Besides, that you know what the company does, what their values are will actually help you to answer for yourself whether it is something that you are happy to stay long and willing to support or get involved with them. At Nielsen, for example, we seek for characters of being connected, open, helpful and personal. I believe that you will fly higher when being surrounded by people who share the same values with you. In fact, many relationships start to grow positively in such environment.

4. (to be continued...)