When submitting online applications, many steps and questions come up. Here are a few tips to help your process.
Remember that while online applications are effective, they do have limitations. The article below is about one person’s experience attempting to automate the application process. It’s true that online applications can work, but our data show that it’s effective for only about a third of engineering master’s students.
I Built a Bot to Apply to Thousands of Jobs at Once, Here’s What I Learned | Fast Company
This tip is simple and very easy to forget. Be sure to follow all directions. Slow down, read carefully, and get the little things right. We hear from recruiters, alums, and employers ALL THE TIME how much this matters. In short, they can’t possibly hire you to do complex things if you demonstrate you can’t get the simple things right.
Your ability to adapt your application to align with the job description matters. For the internships or jobs you really want, be sure you analyze the description and understand the signals they’re sending to candidates. The more descriptions you read, the more fluent you become, making the task of seeing these signals easier and using those to guide your application. The article below goes into lots of detail.
How to Read a Job Description the Right Way | The Muse
Finally, have a method to help you to keep on top of what you’ve done and what to do next. Something like huntr.co, a job search tracker, can help you to visualize and anticipate the needed steps. One thing you can do is schedule a reminder to check-in or follow up on each job in a week by writing a message to reinforce your interest, include a sentence about your distinctive interest and qualifications, and check in on the status of the search.
