Job Search Trick. Apply To Fewer Companies.

The other day we were having lunch with a friend who studied Finance, graduated with honors, has all the necessary accounting packages, and in my opinion he’s quite capable. He can really maximize on his knowledge and skills given the opportunity .However, despite his talent, he still cannot find a job.

We talked about it for a while and when I asked him how many applications he’d made since he graduated in September last year and I was surprised by his answer “95!” .This got me thinking. How can someone talented send out 95 applications over the course of five months and not get a job? I know the competition in his field is high, but still.

So, in my determination to have my friend secure a job, I and thought his situation over and even consulted with some HR Professionals. This guy is just a representative of millions of job seekers out there writing dozens of job applications and getting not even a single invite for interview.

My findings show that writing more applications does not increase your chances of getting a job. It’s just like arguing that a book that has many pages is the best in the market or shooting a shotgun at the job market hoping you will score a hit somehow.

How then can my friend and many others in his situation go about job applications? First, pick a company and research on it. Find out what they are doing, how many people they employ, how your education and skills match with the positions they offer, who the biggest clients are and-if such information is available to the public-get their returns and profit numbers.

This will allow you to get a feeling for their challenges and present yourself as a solution to any potential problems. Also call the company or even visit them to talk with someone in person. This will give you more information about the company for a highly personalized cover letter.

Don’t forget that sometimes perseverance pays off. Writing a couple of extra emails and calling the company might just change their mind, especially if it was a close call between you and someone else in that target company. Seeing that you are highly motivated to work for a company will at least make them think twice.

If you still get rejected, call the person that was in charge of the application process and kindly ask for a few minutes to clarify why you have been rejected. This might help you find mistakes in your application so you can do better next time.

Sending twenty applications in a month to various companies you barely know much about is a huge waste if time. It is especially so because you are likely to draft your CV and cover letter hurriedly without paying much attention to each in your attempt to have your CV with almost every employer in town.

The obvious result is a poorly presented application whose journey ends in the dustbin. Start your research now, identify 3 companies at most that you’ll focus on this coming month and you’ll see how such three to five attempts will get you working!

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