First step-read the directions!

Over the next week or so I'll be writing about the absurd ways people find to apply for a job, and give you some advice on how to avoid becoming and example for my blog!

Not only does January bring our students back to campus, it also officially kicks off Search Season 2011. For now my inbox is full of ACUHO-I intern applicants and Residence Director hopefuls. Soon we'll be opening searches for a few other positions and then things will really get interesting!

For now, and for the next few posts, I want to focus on getting things right from the start- your application.

I cannot stress enough the importance of carefully reading a position posting. The posting doesn’t just give you the position title, description of duties, start date and salary for goodness sake! It gives you important clues about the institution, the person writing the posting, what is being sought in a successful candidate and quite importantly- specific instructions on how to apply. We all know that the simple things can make or break your candidacy- misspell a person’s name, slip up and forget to put the correct institution name in your cover letter, fail to catch glaring typos- all are errors that can easily put your resume in the recycling and give you nightmares for years. There are however, other ways to accomplish the same result.

Today's hot topic- look carefully for directions on where and how you are to submit your application and think about the message you deliver when you hit the send button.

My institution does not subscribe to an online application submission service. We do however require electronic applications- it clearly says so in our advertisements and on our employment website, so please don’t mail me a paper copy. Just today I received a very pretty resume from an eager candidate who spent far too much on expensive paper, matching envelopes and postage- and now we get to email him and ask him to send an electronic copy for our records. He didn't put himself on top of the pile, he got himself labeled as "work", and candidates should not want to be known as work to an employer.

We actually have an email address set up specifically to receive applications - once again, it is listed repeatedly- so don’t send your resume to my direct email, it won’t get you ahead in the process and in fact makes me wonder about your ability to attend to detail and follow directions. It clutters my inbox and might just get lost in the hundred or so work emails I deal with each day. I now get to do your work for you and forward your application from my inbox to the email address you should have sent it to in the first place. Take an extra moment and double check to whom it should go before you hit send.

If you do send me an email, attach your resume and cover letter. I was astounded this week to receive several ACUHO-I internship applications where candidates referred me to the website where I could look up their resume. One candidate even referred me to her personal website where her resume is posted. Two candidates merely wrote one line sentences "I'm interested in your position, please contact me so we can set up an interview". Really?? Really!?! As amazing as you might be, I'm getting applications from a hundred other amazing candidates who told me more about themselves and attached their resumes. Be better than that please! Once again let me repeat- do not make me work to like you. Technology is wonderful, it can enhance your candidacy if used correctly but if you want to make it past my initial screening and into the pile of "possible" then do the work on your end well. Share your technology prowess later.

Back to those intern applicants I used as examples above. Before you write me in outrage please know that for undergraduate students I am a tad bit forgiving in these processes. In fact, I've been graciously forgiving to all the eager applicants this week. So far I have sent a message asking all of them to please provide me with an attached cover letter and resume. Several candidates quickly wrote back apologizing for forgetting to attach (we've all done it). One lovely man wrote me an eloquent paragraph explaining and asking my forgiveness for his error and attached his resume (nicely done). There were several however who merely replied to my message, attached their resumes and hit send. No written comment, no apology, nothing to entice me to open their resume and look further. If you cannot be bothered to include a simple "here you go, sorry for the confusion" or some similar line of text then why on earth should I want to spend eight weeks mentoring you this summer?! At this very busy time of year, heck at any time of the year, your job as a candidate is to make it easier for an employer to like you, be intrigued by you, want to learn more about you- simple as that. By now I'm guessing you are getting the idea.

Check and double-check where and how you should submit your application! If it says mail it- do so at least a week in advance of the application deadline. If it says email it- do so and only do so to the email address provided (again- try to send it at least a week ahead of the deadline). As an employer who attends national placement conferences- I do not check the box that allows candidates to apply via their electronic system, but it never fails that several people choose to submit that way. Follow the directions and that simple act will take your candidacy farther than any slick answer can any day. Then please do impress me with your authentic skills and strengths.

Most of the online job listing sites have an option for you to store your information and send that to potential employers- I implore you not to unless you know for 100% certain what format your information will be in when it arrives in my email. More often than not it is a jumble of information that I have to filter through to find what I need to know- do you meet our minimum qualifications or not. It is not pretty, easy to read, or nicely laid out. It makes you look like you don't care enough to email me your resume directly. It makes me wonder what other shortcuts you might take on the job. I can't help it, I'm human and will indeed wonder about you- don't expect otherwise, just give me good things to wonder about like how awesome you might be as a new member of our team.

Snapshot summary:
* Be sure you know where, how, and to whom you should be submitting your application
* Follow our directions carefully- send paper if we require it, email if we request it and do not assume that doing both will give you a leg up.
* Do not rely on technology to do your work for you.
* You are "on" from the moment you hit send- that might be your first and only impression so make it a good one!
* Your job as a candidate is to make my job as an employer easier so I can relax and be interested in your candidacy not have to dig around to see if I might want to pursue you further. Make it easy for me to think you are a star!

Until next time- when we'll talk about errors, typos, mis-edits and more!

The Employer

Introductions and expectations

As cold snowy weather slams the east coast and friends keep posting pictures of their view of the winter wonderland, it seemed a perfect time to cozy up with a mug of tea and my laptop and write my "Hello" post.

I am an Employer. Plain and simple- I hire people. I've been involved in recruitment, hiring, orienting and training new staff for much of my professional career and when the opportunity arose to write anonymously from the employer perspective I couldn't help but jump with joy. The fear of lawsuits or EOD investigations, the protection of candidates' experiences and campus processes, technology distancing us from candidate contact, lack of time, lack of care- whatever it may be there are many reasons why we Employers can't talk from "Inside the Search". I'm about to change all that.

Join me this search season as I share inside information, details that only an employer could know (but you would benefit from), real life examples or errors that candidates are making right now and ways to turn those mistakes around. I'll provide timely advice in an era of job scarcity, cutbacks and the ever-present funnel from entry-level to that "next-step" position. This isn't just about Residence Directors-I'll tackle search tips for nearly every level.

I've served on or coordinated searches for Housing, Student Activities/Student Unions, Career Services, Disability Services, Dean of Students, VPSA's, Academic Advising, Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and more- nothing is off limits. My current position has me primarily running Residence Life searches- so this year's advice might lean heavily in that direction- but don't hesitate to ask questions about searches in other functional areas! My goal is to help you learn from the inside so you can have the most successful job search possible. I hope that other employers might write and share their insider tips and real life candidate examples so I can include those in future posts as well.

I'm old enough to be an "upper level administrator", and young enough to use Facebook. I can still remember my first interviews and shudder at some of the answers I gave (thank goodness I was hired anyway!). I have also been quite successful in every job search I've conducted- and trust me, you would rather hear from someone who has also had their own job search success! Every day I wish I could write to an applicant or candidate and tell them specifically why they are cut from our process, or why we didn't offer them the job. Now I get to share that feedback and advice with you.

I'm looking forward to the next few months as I get to write to you from Inside the Search!