Keep up to date on articles and news and subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Know What Job You Want

Read Job Applications Carefully

An interesting response to the preference question on job applications has been “Brenda Brown” or “Fred Smith.” Some job seekers misread the word preference and think it is asking for references, i.e., people who know you and will say nice things about you. Unfortunately, this is a common error that tells the employer “I am careless” or “I can’t read.”

A worse error in filling out an employment application is answering the “position applying for” question with “anything” or “doesn’t matter.”

This gives the employer or the placement agency the impression you do not know what you want, that you want the employer or the placement agency to decide for you, or that you do not know what kind of work is available at this place of employment.

Job seekers tell me that they do not want to appear picky or to limit themselves to one job. Thus, they write “anything.” There are better ways to do that.

That better way is networking. If you want a job at Feel Better Pharmacy, ask someone who works there, “What are the entry-level jobs? What should I write on the application?” Even a person who works at another pharmacy could give you an idea.

In 1960, after I graduated from high school, I decided the way to get a job was going to Altoona, Pa., and applying at every business downtown. One businessman asked me what kind of job I wanted. I told him: “Anything!” He then asked me what I thought was done in his business, and I didn’t know.

While I didn’t get a job there, I learned a valuable lesson. Business owners consider their establishment extremely important and feel insulted when job seekers do not know what is done there and what types of jobs are available.

Lankard’s rules regarding job preference: Know what you want and never say “anything.”

Contacting Current Employer
Applications commonly ask permission to contact your current employer. Job seekers see this as a threat. I have known of employees being terminated if it is learned that they are looking for another job. I suggest networking during break about your company’s attitude toward contacts from potential employers. I believe no company will hold it against an applicant for not wanting their current employer contacted.

Lankard’s rule: Unless you are sure it is OK, avoid permitting potential employers to contact your current employer.

Application Trends - Kiosks
When is an application not an application? Answer: when it is a kiosk.

Recently, I went to a local grocery store to buy my favorite scones from the bakery. Just inside the door was a device that looked like the computer I use to order sandwiches at a convenience store. Instead of asking if you wanted lettuce, tomato or onion on your sandwich, this machine asked for your job preference, school or phone number.

At this store, and many other retail businesses, job seekers no longer have to find the manager, complete a paper application, or have the secretary watch you while you fill out the application. You don’t even have to worry about penmanship.

For the applicant, kiosks are quick and easy, will alert you to mistakes, and lead you through a step-by-step application process. Kiosks benefit the employer because applicants are local and know the product since they are customers. This tends to reduce turnover. The computer saves the manger work by screening the applicant based on how they completed the application. One particular brand of kiosk gives each applicant a green, yellow or red light giving the manager an instant evaluation. Another kiosk alerts the manager if a particularly good applicant is at the machine so he or she can interview them before they leave the building.

One piece of advice that works for both kiosks and traditional paper applications is that the applicant should bring a sample application or fact sheet with them to help with question details.

The job seeker should allow enough time to complete an application in its entirety. Many employers will not let you take a paper application home and you sure can’t take the kiosk home.