When receiving resumes and CV’s there is nothing more frustrating then receiving something which is irrelevant. How would you feel if someone gave you something you didn’t ask for and couldn’t use? Unfortunately, a common reaction among recruiters to this is all too often “Can they read the advert?” 

It’s a good question. And unfortunately, this may also have a negative effect on judging your intelligence.  But maybe we don’t do enough to read the advert and convey our skills correctly? Here are 3 tips to help you be successful when applying for jobs in Ireland.

1. Apply for jobs that you are convinced that you can do well in.

The key word is convinced. You may not have relevant experience for a particular role, but you may have transferable skills, so that shouldn’t put you off applying. If you are convinced that you can do the job, go for it and convince the recruiter. However, don’t waste your time applying for things which aren’t relevant. For example,  I know nothing about medicine, I do not have a degree in this field and so I wouldn’t apply for a doctors job. I do however have a degree in IT and experience in sales. I want to work in marketing I’m convinced that my relevant experience will give me an edge in this role. I will highlight this in my application and I would think I would have a good chance at getting a job in this field since the subjects are related.

2. Sell your key skills and demonstrate with examples.

This is where you really need to read and analyse the advert. Start by picking out key skills which are an absolute requirement in order to do the job. Then find examples regarding how you have filled this skill in the past. Directly answering these key requirements will give the recruiter absolute confidence that you are a good bet.  Simply stating ‘increased sales’ in reference to how you performed at a sales job will not cut it I’m afraid. Use hard facts and examples about how you made a reference, in figures, how much by % you increased sales by.

3. References and quotes

I love this one. I always take notice when the candidate has included quotes from their references against the actual job in their employment history section. For example, underneath the title of your previous job you could write ‘James provided us with a unique skill set, I would be happy to recommend him’ - James’s last employer.

This serves as a quick testimonial against each job and looks very good.

This article was written by Mark K. Hollingworth and partners at oneJobworld.com Copyright 2009  for more information please visit onejobworld.com/articles.html