Articles From the Team

Two essential things you should do when applying for a job

After a day out of the office on Friday and with a raft of CVs in my inbox after some new job postings, a big chunk of my Monday was spent going through CVs I had received in application for some of our internal vacancies.

As the day wore on, my mood darkened as I grew increasingly frustrated by two basic mistakes being repeated over and over again. These applications were immediately screened out because the applicant had not done one or both of these two essential things:

1. Check your spelling and grammar, particularly in your covering note/email.

Most CVs have been checked and double checked so mistakes here are rare. However, I received a number of applications where there were basic spelling and grammatical errors in the covering note which accompanied the CV (and I mean really basic). This indicates to a recruiter that you either can’t write very well and/or you have poor attention to detail. It might also suggest that you care so little about this application as it is one of dozens which you are firing off. Either way, it’s easy to screen out on poor spelling and grammar.

2. If you are applying for a role in Function or Sector A, don’t have an opening statement that says you really want a role in Function or Sector B!

So, for example, I mainly recruit recruitment consultants to work for BCL Legal. One of yesterday’s applicants opening line on her CV read “I am very interested in moving forwards towards a HR career.” Recruitment is not HR (and vice versa). It is a huge red flag to any recruitment consultancy when someone expresses an interest in a career in HR. Another applicant’s opening statement stated that what they really wanted was a Training Contract to become a Solicitor. That is absolutely this person’s prerogative, but it really puts me off recruiting them.

Again, this type of mistake suggests to me that recruitment isn’t really what the applicant wants to do and/or they have poor attention to detail. Either way, this kind of mistake will get you screened out. So, when applying for roles, make sure your application is tailored for the particular role for which you are applying and that everything is spelt correctly and that your grammar is sound.

In conclusion, show you give a damn! Show some attention to detail! Show me that you do have a genuine interest in the role for which you have applied. And if you are interested in a career with a market leading recruitment consultancy, please drop me Rob Barklamb a line – robbarklamb@bcllegal.com , or give me a call on 07341 561962 at BCL Legal