I Have A Warrant for Your Application

What do you do when you’re running late to work?

Call in and let them know

Sneak in through the back entrance

Show up and act like you have no idea that you’re late

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Hundreds of applications get dropped on human resources, so the last thing staff wants is a biography, regurgitated description or list self proclaimed skills.  They want to see results and your resume is the evidence. Let’s look at the application process as if you’re a defendant accused of being unqualified for a position and now expected to prove otherwise.

Who issued the description and has the details right in front of them? HR, so why recite what they already know? Instead, identify the duties before making your plea and then create a resume that illustrates how and to what extent you’ve fulfilled them. This shows you’re capable of performing the duties, not just aware of them.

What if you have limited experience in a particular duty?  Well, good attorneys can convince a jury the sky’s made out of mustard, but false claims get the case kicked out. So, keep your case alive by carefully incorporating key terms from that requirement throughout your resume.  This helps because so many employers use word searches to eliminate applications lacking words from the description. Even if they don’t require online applications, key terms are what catch a screener’s eye.

Attorneys submit a gazillion pages of legalese to the court, but do they read them to a jury? Only if they want to annoy its members. HR employs “screeners” rather than “readers” for a reason. Here’s where brevity works in your favor. Using short statements makes your document scannable and more appealing because it removes unnecessary wordage and emphasizes the points your audience wants to hear and in understandable ways. Save your rhetoric for when you take the stand.

Attorneys subpoena witnesses to make claims more credible and convincing. Guess what that means? Engage your references after listing them. The economy demands you to be competitive and asking references to contact prospective employers on your behalf will help. You can find a decision maker’s name and contact information with a little creative research. However, do not bypass the formal application process because that will put you in contempt.

There you have it, a few ideas to strengthen your case. Applying them will help convince HR that you are, beyond the show of a doubt, the most wanted candidate.