The most important part of submitting a job application is wowing your potential employer with previous experience, skills and how you are the perfect fit for the job. This is especially important for adults who are changing careers after years of work. Don’t let careless errors keep you from landing your dream job. Review this checklist before you submit.
1. Update Your Contact Information
This is the only way the employer can reach you for an interview, so updating your email address, physical address and phone number is crucial. And if you choose to include your LinkedIn profile, make sure the link is correct.
2. Double-Check Spelling and Grammar.
Read and re-read your resume, cover letter and other pieces of work before you submit. There is a chance careless spelling and grammar mistakes could keep an employer from calling you back. It is never a bad idea to have another set of eyes on your application, so ask a friend or colleague to read over your work before submission. You can also reach out to CSU’s Career Services team for assistance. Cross your t’s and dot your i’s.
3. Attach All Application Items
This tip may seem redundant, but sometimes we are anxious to submit the application. If you reference an attachment in the cover letter, make sure to include the attachment. Otherwise, the employer will wonder what should’ve been attached. The employer might see it as unprofessional to send an additional email with attachments forgotten in the initial application.
4. Keep Track of Your Applications
If you are applying for multiple jobs, it is sometimes easy to get mixed up about when you applied for each job. For your own benefit, keep a spreadsheet of the employer, job title, a screenshot of the job description, the date you applied and if you’ve heard back from the employer or not. You may need to recall this information later.
Conclusion
It can sometimes be easier to pay attention to the application as a whole rather than the small details. After working diligently on your application for hours, taking the extra 10 minutes to go over the application one last time is worth it in the long-run.
Interested in learning more about submitting applications? Contact CSU Career Services at CareerServices@ColumbiaSouthern.edu.
