Finding the perfect job…

Tips for Completing an Employment Application
Gone are the days that you clean yourself up, make a trip to the downtown corporate office and complete the employment application with paper and pen, hoping to make a great impression on the receptionist so she will tell the recruiter how sharp you looked and how wonderful you sounded.  Things have definitely changed.  No more paper applications or resumes printed on white paper, or early visits to the company’s recruiting office.  Now, we have to impress companies on-line with our computer skills.  So if you have just found yourself in the job market again or maybe it is the first time you have ever completed an application, you will want to start to think about some of the things listed below:
1.  It is time to gather facts.  Write information down so that you will have it available each time you complete an application.  Some things you will want to write down will be:
Employment history including company names, addresses, telephone numbers, managers’ names and dates of   employment.
Volunteer work history with professional or community organizations including the organization’s name, address, telephone numbers, dates of service and the names and contact information of some of the organization officers with whom you worked.
Personal and professional references including names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses.
Personal information such as education.
2. Decide which companies you want to work for, do some internet research and get to know what those companies have to offer, and then decide what you can offer those companies.  Many people say there are lots of jobs “out there,” but there is still a great deal of competition for the really good jobs.  Your job is to explain clearly why you are the best candidate for their jobs.
3. Check the names on all your email accounts to be sure they sound professional.  When you were in school it may have been fun to have a cute email account name.  But employers will not be very impressed by some of the names that were cute to you in school.  Remember, you are trying to convince the company that you are the best professional employee they can find.
4. What does your blog or other networking sites say about you?  Like it or not, more and more companies are researching your blogs to learn more about you.  Some comments and pictures will not be the sort of things you want a future employer to see.
5. Read the instructions on the application carefully and follow them exactly.  Not only do the hiring managers use the employment application as a means to find out employment information, they are also seeing how you work.  If you have many words misspelled, use poor English, or don’t complete the application thoroughly, then they may think that is how you will do the work if you come to work for them.
6. Be neat and thorough with your answers, and be honest. 
7. What you put on this application will be the first time the recruiter has a look at what you have to offer and will decide if you are a good match for the position you are applying for.
8. If you are allowed to attach a resume to the application do that also, because sometimes the resume will give more information than you put on the employment application.
9. Complete the application in detail.  The hiring manager may not look at your resume or call you if they are not impressed with your application.  Avoid saying “see resume” because the recruiter may just skip to the next application.  Make the recruiter’s job easier if you want to get the job of your dreams!
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