PROJECT JOB
Job Search Step 3 — Apply
In step three, you finally talk to someone and apply for a role. Here’s what to consider
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How to apply for a role
What agencies and employers have in common is that they employ a gatekeeping process designed to filter out as much noise as possible.
If there’s a good match between your CV and their needs, they will contact you, as they need to fill the vacancy. When you talk to a recruiter, whether from an agency or employer, the point of the discussion is to get out of the screening and into the shortlisting pile on their desk — and, hopefully, an interview, whether face-to-face or telephone. Recruiters have targets and rarely call you for a social chat.
Bearing this in mind, consider what their needs are.
Language
They don’t want to look bad by recommending you, or waste the hiring manager’s time, so you need to give them enough confidence that you know what you’re talking about that they put you forward.
To gain confidence, they want to know what you can do now, so focus on that and not on what you’ve done in the past. The briefing from the hiring manager is unlikely…
