How to Apply

Tailor your Resume

It's best to focus on searching for a job that interests you and puts your skills to use rather than a particular job title. Focus on a particular industry, or type of employment opportunity that reflect your skill set.

If you do this, then your resume can highlight your skills and accomplishments from your work history rather just your duties from a particular job.

If you are a student or recent grad with minimal work history, highlight the risks and innovations you took with your studies and school projects, or the interesting combination of knowledge (classes) you acquired and how that would benefit your employer. The goal is to set yourself apart from other applicants and reflect your unique skill set.

Though it's important to tailor each of your resumes to the job for which you're applying, it's much easier to do so if your resume reflects these aforementioned aspects rather than just your work history.

For more help with your resume, visit our resume guide here.

Keep it on hand

If you're serious about your jobsearch, it's best to carry a digital copy of your resume with you. If you bump into a potential employer you can whip out your resume on a usb stick or if you have a version online you can can direct them to the url. Remember to have both a textual (Word.doc) and pdf version on hand as employers may specify their preference.

Protect your contact information

Always include an e-mail address when applying to jobs, especially when doing so online. Many employers ignore applications without e-mails because it's less convenient to reach people by phone.

BUT it's best not to use your personal e-mail. Create an e-mail specific for your job search. It's more likely you'll get into the habit of responding professionally when using a seperate account (as opposed to using casual online/sms shorthand), but it also protects you against a great deal of spam you may receive from distributing the address so widely.

Try to also protect the contact information of your references. When choosing your references, make sure to ask for their approval while also notifying them that they may be contact in the future with regards to your jobsearch. Unless specifically asked for in an application, always put "references available on request" on your coverletter and resume, as opposed to including them automatically.