3 Things to Do Before Applying for Jobs Online
By Career counseling

By Adnan Masood

If you are looking for a job, you may be in the mist of your job search right now or you are gearing up to get started. Whether you visit a career search website or do your searching with a desktop job finding program, I am sure you will find lots of jobs to apply for. Before you hit that “apply” button, there are three things you should do. These three things, which are outlined below, are small steps but they can make a different in your success.

Review Your Resume

Since you are applying for jobs online, your resume is what creates the first impression. If you threw together a resume in five minutes or have a resume that you haven’t updated in months, you want to make a few changes. First, ensure your resume is updated. Secondly, you want to ensure your spelling and grammar is good. Finally, you want to ensure that you didn’t leave anything of great importance off your resume. Ensure all your important skills, prior jobs, and any relevant volunteer experience is listed.

Consider Your Email Address

While most hiring managers will call you to schedule an interview over the phone, it is a good idea to include your email address on your resume just in case. However, before you start typing out your hotmail address without even thinking about it, it is important to stop and think. Make sure this name is professional. In fact, you might want to create a separate email account just to handout to prospective employers. A good idea is to use your name. If that is already taken, try professional variations of your name, such as your last and first name reversed, add in your middle initial, and so forth.

Update Your Answering Machine or Voicemail

Unless you are unemployed and always home, there is a good chance you will miss a call or two for some of the jobs you applied for online. Don’t worry, most employers aren’t just going to cross you off their list if you aren’t home; they are going to leave you a message on your answering machine or voicemail. To ensure they aren’t turned off by your behavior or attitude, change your message to ensure it is professional. In a polite, calm, and welcoming voice say “Name is unable to come to the phone right now. Please leave a message and he/she will return your call as soon as possible.” Remember the hiring manager still hasn’t met you yet in person, so you want to work on creating a good impression.

So there you have it, if you are applying for jobs online these are three steps you want to implement right now. While they aren’t going to make or break your chances of landing a job, remember that they may help to improve your chances because you are creating a professional persona.

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