Mistakes to avoid when applying for a job

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I have been working in the position of HR in an IT company for a little over two years and I am therefore in charge of the selection and recruitment process. I wanted to write this article to help all potential candidates who want to apply for a job and are not sure how. The text you are just reading summarizes the mistakes I encounter while doing recruitment. Here are my tips on how to apply for an ad in the company you are interested in.

Subject of the email

Basic literacy when it comes to e-mail communication means that the e-mail you send is always addressed. Imagine a situation where you apply for a job in a company that has several open positions, a person working in HR receives several dozen emails a day, if the e-mail is not addressed, without further analysis he cannot know what the e-mail refers to.

Content of the email

It happened to me several times to receive a blank mail, which contains only the candidate’s CV in the attachment and that is it. There are also situations where I received an email, but no text, no subject – just a CV as an attachment. Honestly, such an application is not desirable. Email is the first thing a recruiter sees when it comes to you, through that application it already creates an impression and builds an image of you. Why would HR invite someone who is not interested to introduce themselves in a few sentences, say what position they are applying for and write the title of the e-mail? Would you invite yourself to an interview if you were in HR’s place?

Naming the CV

When sending your CV when applying for a job, do not call it just a “CV” without adding your name and surname. You can guess how many candidates apply to companies that have positioned themselves as a desirable employer, so the idea is not for HR to rename every CV they receive.

CV Format

Always send your CV in PDF format, not in doc / docx format, it is much nicer and more professional.

Be hontes

When someone from HR contacts you to schedule an interview, do not interrupt the conversation until you are completely sure of the date and time of the interview. It happened to me that the candidates came half an hour or an hour earlier because they did not understand well or they were ashamed to say during the conversation that they did not hear well. If you tell a person on the other side, “Okay, see you.” and you’re not sure if you’ve got it right, she can’t know what’s in your head, so always confirm everything that interests you.

Do your homework

Before going to the interview, research the company that invited you. This is important for two reasons:

  1. You want to know what the company you want to work for does, right? I met candidates who knew nothing about the company when they came for the interview. This shows that you are not overly interested in where you are employed, and I believe you do not want to leave such an impression. You can always find out some information about the company through their website, Linkedin, Instagram and FB page. You may even know someone who works there, so ask that person at least the most basic things.
  2. Through research and through the interview, you will see if you like the organizational culture of the company and if you fit into it. It’s great when the company has good projects, rooms for rest, entertainment, team building, but it’s not all about that, so pay attention to how the company takes care of its employees and what values it promotes and supports.

Be yourself

It is true that some questions are repeated in behavioral interviews, but each question has its own sense and deeper meaning, although it is not always clear and familiar to candidates. Keep this in mind and don’t give socially desirable answers, but be your own. The person on the other side has enough experience to assess whether the answer is honest or you say it because you think the interviewer wants to hear it.

These tips are the basis of how I think you should apply for a position and prepare for an interview. It is possible that I missed something. In any case, I can’t describe to you how important it is to work on yourself and how much sometimes only a nuance can judge in favor of a candidate who is not you because you are not dedicated enough to the preparation.

I hope that something from this text will mean something to you and that it will help you get the job you want.