Job Application

When applying for employment by mail a job application letter must accompany your resume. Often times an employer may be flooded by perhaps a stack of a hundred or more resumes on any given day. In such situations, getting an interview can represent a major break-through for the job applicant. The job application letter you write can and should be used to substitute for that all-important interview that you may not otherwise get, regardless of your qualifications. So, construct it wisely. Resumes at best part put forth only a rather simple table of data depicting your past work history and educational background for a potential employer's scrutiny. Lacking in a resume are many individual nuisances important to employers regarding the people they are about to add to their organization. Surveys of personnel directors of the five- hundred largest organizations show that the vast majority (over 80%) have agreed or strongly agree that they want to know: †¢ Your personality. What you are like and what you will be like as an employee? Why have you chosen to apply for employment with this particular company? †¢ What job are you specifically seeking? †¢ What makes you feel that your education or past experience relates to that job? †¢ Planning your job application letter: †¢ Think of your job application letter as being constructed of three parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. The purpose of the introduction is to specify why you are writing and to say a few things about yourself, such as, where you are going to school and your major. The introduction gives you the opportunity to praise to the company for some specific quality it posses. This praise can serve to answer the silent question as to why you have chosen their company and also allows you to subtly display a personality technique that most people enjoy greatly, the ability to convey the feeling â€Å"I know you and I like you. † Caution though, praise must be specific because general praise has a tendency to sound insincere. The best line of praise should be to something in the company directly related to your line of work. Sometimes uncovering these facts can require a bit of research, please remember to learn the name and position of your intended reader. The body of your letter should be use to answer any questions your employer might have about how you feel that your education and background pertain to the job you are seeking. Here you want to draw connections from your past experiences and education to the specific skills required for the job you are seeking. †¢ In planning your letter's conclusion you must decide exactly how you intend to f ollow up your letter. Will you call within a specified period of time or will you await a telephone call or letter? You must bring the letter to a cordial but brief close. You must sound confident, yet never pushy. All ways ask for a follow-up interview. Remember, the letter you are sending along with your personal resume is your proverbial â€Å"foot in the door† with any would-be employer and often has to serve as your initial interview. Polish it carefully. Type job application XYZ Company 87 Delaware Road Hatfield, CA 08065 (909) 555-5555 george. [email  protected] com Date Dear Mr. Gilhooley, I am writing to apply for the programmer position advertised in the  Times Union. As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my certification, my resume and three references. The opportunity presented in this listing is very interesting, and I believe that my strong technical experience and education will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. The key strengths that I possess for success in this position include: †¢ I have successfully designed, developed, and supported live use applications †¢ I strive for continued excellence †¢ I provide exceptional contributions to customer service for all customers With a BS degree in Computer Programming, I have a full understanding of the full life cycle of a software development project. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed. Please see my resume for additional information on my experience. I can be reached anytime via email at george. [email  protected] com or my cell phone, 909-555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity. Sincerely, FirstName LastName Writing an effective and powerful  job application letter is  an integral part of your job search and  crucial to winning a job. Not all job application letters will go directly to an employer. They may need to go through a  third party  such as an employment agency, recruitment firm or job network agency. This section identifies  8 different types of employment   or job application letters  Ã‚  you may need in your job search such as  prospecting letters  for cold calling,  letters to generate leads  through networking, and  letters of interest  to an employment agency:  Each  job search method  will require you to write a letter with  different content. You need to be able to create a message with irresistible appeal to your target market. An effective  job application letter  will position you ahead of the competition and the way you  apply for a job  will depend upon the  job search method you use. A letter in response to an advertised position  is the most common and therefore it is treated as a separate topic and is treated comprehensively in . Application Letter  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Advertised Job  and  Job Application Letter – Using Marketing Techniques. Both these sections are invaluable in content and a â€Å"must read† Your goal is the same, whether it is for  prospecting letters  or  job applications . This is to:- †¢ Grab  your reader's attention to entice them to read your resume and to get an interview or an employment lead. Your resume and your letter combine to make a powerful job application. It goes without saying that a good job application letter is pointless if your resume is not up to the same standard. See  Resume Writing. Depending on the recruitment method used,  the format of an employment letter will be the same. It is the  approach  that is different. However, make no mistake,  they are all  sales letters  or more commonly, in my view, inadequately called cover letters,  (see  Write A Winning Job Application Letter. To compile an appropriate letter for the job search method you are using you need to keep three questions in mind. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Who are you targeting? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the purpose of the letter? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What do you want from the person you are writing to? If you are serious abou t creating self marketing job application letters, you will find valuable insights and techniques to write letter content for maximum impact in  job applications   – Using Sales / Marketing Techniques  and also  job application letters   for advertised job. Each section is extremely comprehensive for all job seekers, in fact it is invaluable. Content is unique to Pro-Active Human Resource Management. Please look at them and bookmark it for later use: Overview of different types of employment letters As stated, there are many types of  job applications letters used in job search. Here are 9 of the most commonly used letters:- 1. Job application letter directly to an employer in response to an advertised position. see  Write winning job applications  . The most important aspect of this type of this job application letter that  sets it apart  from other types of employment letters, is that it  must address the employer's stated criteria as set down in the job advertisement. If you don't do this then you are wasting your time and the employer's time. This same type of letter, with a slight variation in the wording, also accompanies your resume when you send it to third parties who have advertised a position and will do the recruitment   on behalf of an employer   (below. )   So you need to read the advertisement carefully to ensure you know who is actually doing the recruitment. 2. job application letters to employment agencies / recruitment firms An application letter to a  third party who has advertised a position on behalf of an employer and will act on their behalf in the recruitment process. Here you must talk to the agency/firm and refer to the employer as the agency's â€Å"client†. It is the agency you must influence to get a job interview with them in order to be referred to their client – the employer. This job application letter is a bit more difficult and the standard must be very high. The letter must address all the criteria advertised, however the advertisement will probably only tell you the name of the industry where the job is, not the employer. It is still a job application sales letter and you must use all the techniques shown in  Applications Letter – Using Marketing Techniques. nd  Write A Winning   Application Letter. Often the company will not be identified at this stage, research is not possible. If you do get referred to the employer you will know the company's name so you must prepare for the interview and do your research. Find out all you can about them and see sections on how to perform at the interview and what you may expect from an interview –  Interview Tips  and  Interview Process and Questions. 3. Letter of interest to an employment agency / recruitment firm Here you want to register for any positions that may come up in the future. This is discussed further on as a  cold call letter. 4. Resume letter Used primarily for people returning to the workforce or where a resume is not effective or appropriate. For example, where there are lots of gaps in their employment. It sets out your job history briefly without dates and then responds to employer's needs – this is crucial. You need to use all letter writing sections to write your resume letter. Note: It is a combination of a resume and an application letter. It takes the place of a resume. 5. Career change letter This is the hardest type of job application letter. It is often used by the more mature jobseeker who has gained a new qualification. A resume letter may be appropriate in some cases. If the jobseeker has had more recent employment experience in another job they must be able to recognise their transferable skills. Your resume is very important. A good resume writer will spend a lot of time with you identifying how to tie your transferable skills into your new occupation. If you don't have a good resume it will be more difficult to write an effective job application letter. An example can be found in  Sample Job Application 6. Job Application Form You are more likely to use an application form when you apply to an job advertisement over the phone and are asked to fill in an application form at the time of interview. Another   example would be for when you apply for casual work or blue collar work. Used in employment agencies that deal with casual labour   (labour hire companies. ) Preparing an application form correctly and neatly, and on the spot, so to speak, requires :- †¢ A  knowledge of what the employer wants, †¢ good handwriting All the information you will need to fill out the form at your fingertips. If you industry uses application forms as the primary means of applying for the job you will need to develop some skills and knowledge to make the process easier. Application forms put you at a disadvantage:- †¢ They make you put in   employment history in chronological order that may be irrelevant to the job you are applyi ng for. †¢ You may not have the opportunity to show you main employment skills/history, especially if you have been doing casual work or working while studying. They do not provide an opportunity to target the job to your skills and experience. So take your resume and give it to them anyway. Note:  If you register with an employment agency you may be asked for your tax file number, especially if it is for temporary employment. The next group of letters are  prospecting or unsolicited letters  for  cold calling,  (or cold canvassing ) found through research or from leads found through  networking. The are still referred to as job application letters , but the content is very specific. Cold calling means contacting   prospective employers who have not advertised a job. The jobs may be available but they are in â€Å"the hidden job market  Ã¢â‚¬  as I am sure you are aware. That is, they have not been advertised for any number of reasons. Looking back on the  three questions to keep in mind; 1. Your target group is  the prospective employers  you identified in yourresearch  who employ people with your skills and qualifications. (Discussed at great length in  Cold Calling. ) 2. The purpose of the letter is to  obtain an interview for any future vacancies. 3. You need to make your purpose clear to the employer or contact.. Networking  is an even more effective job search method. However, job seekers tend to shy away from it. Nevertheless, it has been proven that job seekers want to know about cold calling, so if you feel you can learn skills to write a cold call job application letter, we fully recommend you also readNetworking for Success. It really is easy if you follow our proven method. Research shows networking is still extremely effective – in fact in a good job market it is most effective, especially in the IT and the mining industry, which has traditionally been an industry where people network. Some research goes as far as to say that over 85% of jobs are found through the networking). When you first contact people in your network by phone or letter you are not asking for a job. Rather your aim is to generate job leads. Once you get these leads you will then write a cold calling letter. 7. Cold calling job applications a. To an employment  agency or recruitment firm A letter of enqu iry to a recruitment/employment agency to register your interest in being referred to an employer for a job in your area of expertise. b. Direct to a company This type of prospecting letter requires you do a lot of research and you must demonstrate that you know what the company does and how you can fit into the organisation. You need to be very specific about the skills you can bring to the job and how you can contribute to growth of the company. Don't actually say how you can improve processes or outcomes, as this suggests that the company is not performing, but state clearly how such outcomes were achieved in past positions. 8. Networking letters You need two different types of   letters. 1. To a person in your network. Here you want to generate leads. Remember, you are not asking for a job, rather you are asking for advice. 2. You will probably then follow up with a letter of introduction to someone who has been referred to you through your network. This last letter is a cold call letter, but maybe referring to your source if appropriate. If you can do this (you need permission from the person who gave the lead), it is more effective. Writing these letters are quite different to any other job applications . Find out how to network effectively. Your first challenge is to get   your letter opened. Opening statements are very important. They start your letter with impact. Opening statements can be found, in  Write A Winning job applications  . A sample of each of these types of job applications   can be found in  Sample Job Applications Why you shouldn't use a one- fits- all job application letter By far the most common mistake job seekers make is to use  one fits all  job applications that they have copied from the internet or developed themselves as a generic letter and altered slightly. You will notice this company does not offer a generic job application letter (cover letter) service. Each letter you write must be personalised to that particular job and the company, which will require research. Even professionals with high level skills often want a generic application letter written when they order their resume. Most resume companies include these job applications   in their services. We don't, for all reasons stated in this section. There are excellent sample job applications   found on job search websites. However, most of these job application sample letters are directed at the â€Å"professional applicant†Ã‚   – especially for the high achiever or â€Å"would be† high achiever. Your job application letter is an example of your communication skills, so don't set yourself up to fail. Recruiters can spot a letter that has strung together from phrases from sample job application letters   and the sections you write will be entirely different. We see the same with resumes. Therefore, some application samples provided on this site are directed at the middle of the road job vacancies and skill level, and show you the process used, so you can develop your own letter writing skills. See  Sample job applications  . It is highly recommended that you read  Writing  Applications Using Marketing Techniques,  which shows you how to use effective content in your application letter. This section is invaluable and contains examples of   opening and closing statement examples and shows you how to ensure your job applications   use features and benefits. So no need to look for   â€Å"you beaut† sales pitches. The letter is strong on its own. As stated, what is common to all job applications is the need to sell yourself. It is easier to sell yourself if you have a professional background and harder if you are in ordinary white and blue collar occupations. However, no matter what level of job you are applying for you can still write  a job application letter using marketing techniques that catch the reader's attention, as long as you  address the employer's needs, and therefore their expectations. (Go to  Write A Winning Job Application Letter  to find out how to address the employer's needs). A good job application letter or employment letter, is useless if you do not have a resume that clearly backs up your claims in the letter. (exception career change letters. )   See  Resume Writing. If you want more guidance you should consider using letter writing software. Powerful opening statements and marketing phrases can be found  at  Amazing Cover Letters  Ã‚  You just need to address the employers needs, and this excellent software allows you, and encourages you, to do this. An â€Å"all in one package† that looks at occupations with a lot of competition and those with less,  that can be changed and personalised. Just ensure you actually find everything in the package as it has a lot of sections. If your resume is weak the best cover letter in the world will not get you a job. if you are not getting interviews  have your resume reviewed.