It happens way too often: You’re leisurely scrolling through Bayt.com, wondering if today’s excavation might just lead somewhere. The past couple of days have been slow, to say the least, so it’s high time you found something to make you sit up in your chair.
And then, lo and behold, you come across what could easily pass for the job of your dreams. The pay, the commute, the benefits, the company culture – it’s all perfectly suited! By a fortunate stroke of luck, you stumble upon a goldfield when you least expect it.
However… “Serendipity always rewards the prepared”
Suddenly, an inner resistance rises up to defuse your zeal. The almost uncontrollable (and unwise) urge to apply right there and then is watered down at the hands of this inexplicable force.
And then something even more absurd happens. Your hand slips, yanking the mouse cursor toward the corner of your screen, opening a new tab, and – unfathomably – you find yourself hitting the keyboard in calculated, almost unhuman strokes. Your eyes flit back and forth from your hands to the screen in rapid succession.
You then find the following phrase in the search bar: “bayt.com what to do before applying”
By a twist of fate, your eyes settle on the first search result… and before you know it, you’re already reading this article. Recursion is ever a trickster function, isn’t it? (That’s a reference only the Computer Science guys and gals out there will get.)
Without further ado:
You may revise something three times, but in the fourth round you stumble on a spelling mistake and think, “How did I miss that?” Fear not, it happens to the best of us.
Here’s a pro tip: Leave some space between each revision when you’re really looking to keep your CV and/or cover letter free of errors. Our tendency to do many things in one sitting takes away from our focus and actually leads to poor results. Give your eyes a break!
At the most fundamental level of a job application’s effectiveness is its degree of personalization. Put another way: How much will your credentials and/or your experience be jumping out at the hiring manager, based on what has been described in the job description?
Read: How to Write a Cover Letter for 2022: a Beginner’s Guide
Now you can engage in a compare and contrast exercise; see how your renewed cover letter and CV stack up against the hiring manager’s expectations. If there’s a good fit, bingo! If not, then that’s your cue to move on.
Your Bayt.com profile (if you’re applying through Bayt.com, obviously) is often the next step in the game. Meaning; once you’ve successfully convinced the hiring manager (through your CV and cover letter) of your qualifiedness, that’s where they’ll go to take a closer look. Many a job hunter goes to great lengths to make sure his documents are error-free but for some reason, that diligence goes missing when it comes to his online profile. Don’t be like “many a job hunter”.
We often harp on keeping your CV short and to the point, because that’s how hiring managers want it; your profile is different in that you can take creative license with it and go as long or as short as you want. Add anything that falls under the umbrella of past experience, credentials, awards, work samples, etc. to set yourself apart from the fray.
Keep an eye out for anything that invites a negative reaction from a potential employer. Make sure you’re presenting yourself in the best way possible and delete any images or posts that might call your professionalism into question. Here, our philosophy is always better safe than sorry.
Pretty self-explanatory. The job posting goes a long way in helping you formulate your answers to interview questions, and even coming up with thoughtful questions yourself. You want to make sure you’ve got that information somewhere in case you can no longer access it.
A lot of people gloss over details, which only serves to irritate hiring managers and hurt the job seeker’s chances of getting hired. Pay attention to what’s being asked of you. If the application asks you to write a certain phrase at the top of your cover letter, then do it. Many hiring managers quickly disregard an application if it’s missing a detail that was explicitly requested – and for good reason.
This might just be the most important step of them all. It’s very powerful. However, few of the people reading this are going to follow up on it. Here it is, in all its simplicity: Hire a freelancer. Yep, you read that right. Write a job description (for something real – do not waste people’s time), go to our job boards, and upload it. Now sit back and experience what it’s like to be on the other side of a job application.
This will do much more for your ability to be a standout candidate than anything else will. Literally. It’s that effective. The trick is in figuring out what you need a freelancer for, because like I said, you do not want to waste people’s time. It’s uncouth.
Take it easy, and never give up
Understandably, this is a process that can (and will) take much of your time and effort. The question is to what degree will you muster up the resolve to keep going? Stick to it and I promise, in the end, you will receive the fruits of your labor.
Start by looking at the 48,000+ jobs we have available for you on Bayt.com and pick your ideal opportunity!
