37 tips to make your application a success! Part 2

You put so much thought into what you should add into your resume/P11/PHP (or what the application form is called in the organization you are applying for). Impactpool’s 37 unique tips help you to focus on the right things and make your next application, the best ever.

8. Avoid mega blocks of text - as a recruiter the worst first impression I can get is to receive a CV in a massive text block. Studies show that recruiters look at resumes pretty quickly, a minute at best. Your goal as applicant is to make your application remembered by the recruiter even if s/he only glances at your application. Keep all text short and to the point, avoid blocks of text, instead use bullet points.

9. Avoid mixing fonts and colors - Stick to one font and black color, different fonts and colors is not fun, to me it looks cheap and you take a risk that your application will not be taken seriously.
10. If you apply by submitting a resume formatting makes a difference - don't leave orphan words (They’re those single words left on a line by themselves.) Instead, see how you can edit the previous line so they can fit. Aim at making your resume look clean, rather add one more free space to air it up than squeeze out as much space you can of the paper.
11. Always give three references - you can give references from current employer ‘upon request’, however references from previous employers should always be provided. Avoid giving personal references. A reference should always be a professional reference.

Personal Details

12. Provide two addresses - If you live outside your home country give two addresses - one address in your home country (home address) and one address where you currently live (current address). If you don’t have a home address in your home country, add a relative's address and/or if possible just add a city and country. In some cases, the two different addresses will be used by the organization to determine eligibility and entitlements.

13. Use Your Private Email Address if you apply to an external organization, if you apply internally it is ok to use the work email - even if you apply outside office hours it is clear that you are using your employer's email server for your own career aspirations, and if these are to leave it does not look good.

14. When using private emails, make sure it is seriously named - no more comments needed...

15. Questions that may surprise you - While applying for International Organization you may be asked for the birth date, nationalities, Marital Status, and if you have children. These questions may be illegal in some countries, but for most International Organization's these questions must be answered.

Work Experience and Education

16. Use a T-table to identify key skills and results to highlight

The fact that you must tailor your application for each application is probably nothing new, but how to tailor it may be new. Use out t-table method and you will be able to pitch your application optimally. Click here to read about the t-table method and click here to see a tutorial.

17. Use STAR, IPAR, CARI or CARl to structure your work history

When you have used the t-table you have a sense of what is most important and what you have done in the past that is most advantageous. Now you should turn that wisdom into your application. For doing that there are many techniques, personally, I am in favour of IPAR. Click here to read about STAR and IPAR

18. Don’t overload the number of bullets 

As a rule, stick to just 3-5 bullets for each section, if you add too many you will most likely lose the recruiter’s attention somewhere after the third bullet.

19. Be trustworthy: If you claim that you are a good communicator, make sure your spelling and grammar are perfect! The same applies in case you claim to pay attention to detail as a skill.

20. Shall I include previous positions completely irrelevant to the job I apply for? When applying for International Organizations (especially the multilateral) make sure that you include all jobs you ever had after completion of a first degree. Multilaterals have strict rules when it comes to counting years of experience and if you leave out professional experiences you may be disqualified although you meet the requirements.

21. Shall I indicate an internship as “Paid” or “Unpaid”? 

When applying for multilateral they distinguish between paid and unpaid internships. A paid internship counts as professional experience, however unpaid is not counted. So if you don't indicate that your internship was paid you may lose important months for your total years of experience, and this is of course mainly applicable to junior applicants.

22. Include Your Graduation Year and confirm it is obtained

For most professional jobs a completed advanced degree is required and if you haven't completed your degree yet you are not eligible to apply. The recruiters want to know that you completed the degree. So to save the recruiter time, add when it was completed. 

23. Read the application instruction, even if you have an advanced degree you may be asked to include High School-Related degrees

If not specifically asked for, it is enough to include your highest completed degree. If you have more than one advanced degree, include them all.  However, in some cases the organization explicitly ask for all completed educations from a certain age, if that is the request, you must include all applicable.

24. If not an explicitly outlined requirement no need to include skills everyone else has 

Profound knowledge in Microsoft Outlook, other email software, Word and similar groundbreaking skills are no longer standing out. It was the great-to-have year 1997, but no longer. Everyone is expected to know how to use a computer. If these skills are explicitly mentioned as requirements or desired skills in the job advertisement, add them into your resume. Otherwise, leave them out.

25. Don’t make things more complicated, use straightforward language

Avoid unnecessarily big words, it does not make you look smarter: Why “utilize” when you can “use?” especially as the former takes up more space.

26. Avoid Industry Jargon or Buzzwords 

Remember that the initial screener is often a generalist having no profound knowledge about the subject matter whatsoever. What s/he is doing is to determine you met the minimum requirements. Hence, avoid business language and make sure everything you include in your resume is understandable to the average person.
27. Use concise language that is to the point 

Make sure you use a language in your application that is informative but concise. Use the same language as in the job advertisement, don't rewrite. If it says capacity building, use capacity building - don't rewrite and use synonyms such as learning. Several recruiters use free-text search when they start the review of a resume and if they don't get any hits, chances are that they don't read your application at all. This is especially true if you are an external applicant.
28. Proofread - Typos are not to your favour

Don’t rely on Microsoft spell check and grammar check alone, ask someone external to take a look at it for you. Also, a good idea is to pay a resume review specialist to look at your resume.