7 Tips for Improving Your Application

Before you even get a chance to be interviewed and hopefully hired, you have to go through the application process. Anyone that’s ever applied for any job EVER knows that applications aren’t easy.

They are not universal and no one asks the same questions or expects the same responses. So, how do you improve your chances of making it through this phase of the hiring process?

Follow these 7 tips!

1. On anything that comes up on your application- spell it out. Don’t use text lingo (No UNCG, w/o , lol’s, ect.) You never know who’s reading it and what their understanding of the text lingo could be. Try to stay professional and spell out everything.

2. Double and triple check your application before turning it in.

A misspelled word or grammatical error could really decrease your chances at the job, so take some time to really review it before you turn it in!

3. Avoid repetition. You have no idea how many applications your potential employer is reading. They do not want to read the same two things over and over on your application.

4. Use verbs to support your work experiences. Positive, action words create a more intelligent and dynamic application, but make sure you KNOW what the word means and how to use it. Here are some examples: Achieved, Administered, Analyzed, Created, Designed, Developed, Expanded, Improved, Initiated, Instructed, Managed, Monitored, Organized.

5. Be honest. Don’t add things to your application that aren’t true. Chances are they’ll either see through the lie, or they’ll ask you about it in the interview! Be honest about all the things you answer.

6. If it’s a handwritten application, be sure to take your time and use neat handwriting to fill out the form.

If they can’t read the answers, they may be deterred from your application. Don’t assume someone can read your handwriting either! Everyone is different.

7. Be timely.

If there’s a certain date or time the application is due by, TURN IT IN BEFORE OR BY THEN!!! Give yourself plenty of time before the due date in case something changes. If your application requires a letter of recommendation, give a two week notice for the person you intend to ask. They have their own life and requirements and may not be able to get to it if you ask them the day before the application is due. So give them plenty of time! Two week to a month should suffice.