Applying for jobs is a lot of work, especially when you have to fill out the same information over and over again. That’s why, at WorkStep, your profile is your job application. Fill it out once and use it to apply to any job you see on WorkStep.
Easy, right? Not so fast. Once you apply for a job, REAL hiring managers will be looking at your profile, so you want to showcase the best version of yourself here. At WorkStep, our team of career coaches work directly with hiring managers so we know exactly what they’re looking for on your application and what kind of mistakes might make them pass you over.
Here are the top 5 mistakes we see on applications. Follow these easy tips to improve your profile and land that interview.
1. Not Adding A Personal Summary
One of the first things hiring managers look at is the description about yourself at the top of your profile. They’re making split second decisions as they look through applications, so this is your opportunity to make yourself stand out in just 2-3 sentences (brevity is also important).
Be sure to:
Update your Personal Summary here
2. Not Explaining Gaps In Your Work History
Try not to leave any gaps in your employment history and, if there were gaps, make sure to explain them. For example, if you left a job after 3 months and don’t explain why, hiring managers might think that you’re job hopping and aren’t going to stick around after they’ve invested time and effort into training you. But, by explaining that you were in school and had a summer job, you can help them form a complete picture. Same goes for being self-employed, having a family or medical emergency, or maybe you were getting certifications to help build your career. You can’t always go into detail about every situation, but do your best!
Without adding work history, you don’t stand a chance of getting an interview. Your profile should help to create a trustworthy picture of you.
3. Not enough detail in your job descriptions
Employers want to see exactly what you did at previous jobs. Describe what you did using at least a sentence or two for each position you have listed. When writing, think about areas you can add more detail like:
All this information can help hiring managers form a complete picture of what you can bring to their team. Putting in some extra effort here can make or break your chances of landing an interview.
4. Poor spelling and grammar
You don’t need to be a spelling-bee champion, but you should proofread your profile to make sure you don’t have any major spelling blunders. Check for grammar, and punctuation errors too, as that can also impact your chances of getting an interview. Hiring managers look at these details to help determine the amount of time and effort you spent on your application. Run your job descriptions and the personal description at the top of your profile through a spell-checker to catch any major mistakes.
5. Incorrect info in your availability
Make sure we have the correct availability for you. Your application can get screened out for jobs if your availability doesn’t match what shift a company is looking for. We don’t want you to miss an opportunity just because your preferences aren’t set up correctly.
Hiring managers want to give you the benefit of the doubt—and often will. But filling out a detailed profile makes their job easier and improves your chances of landing an interview. Get started now.
