To Ask for Advice on How to Get My Dream Job!

[Banthafodder]

I’m hoping that the great and the good of MN can give me some good pointers on how to sell myself on an application form…

An amazing opportunity has come up in my field of expertise - it’s a step up but my skills match the Job Description perfectly and it’s with an organisation that I have a huge personal affinity with - working for them would mean so much to me, not to mention it would be a great opportunity for me to provide properly for my children as a single parent.

I’ve never been good at selling myself, though, and have been with my current company for over ten years - I’m completely rusty with completing job applications!

Does anyone have any tips for making sure I make the most of this opportunity, please?

I think the reason there is so much conflicting advice here, is that it really depends on your field. For instance, if we advertised a position and someone contacted us directly asking for more information about the role, then that would look really good for them. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with them before the application / interview process. But the roles tend to be quite specific and niche, so the number of applicants is relatively manageable. I could see how that would be more difficult for a position with hundreds or even thousands of applicants.

However, processing applications is often a tick-box exercise. There are a list of requirements, and applicants are scored on whether they meet or don't meet them. The best application in the world will be binned, if it doesn't meet the essential requirements, so it's really important to make sure that you clearly demonstrate that you do.

@Banthafodder By contacting the hiring manager, you have the opportunity to introduce yourself and find out more about the role, the team and overall employers.

It's a chance for you to find out if it's really the right role, as there have been occasions when I've contacted a hiring manager about a vacancy to find out the manager's verbal description/confirmation of the role is nothing like the job specification advertised.

Thank you @jennymac31 that’s really helpful - I wouldn’t want to feel like I was making contact just for the sake of it, but this makes perfect sense