Applying for a Job Without Sabotaging your Chances: Your Favourite Employers Share Their Do’s and Don’ts

If only I knew what employers want to see on my resumé! It’s so hard to figure it out!

Applying for a job when you don’t really know what recruiters are looking for is a bit like walking on eggshells... in the dark: it’s easy to take a wrong step and fall flat on your face. Luckily, the Career Centre Team took the time to survey directly partner organizations that recruit at Telfer. And, you guessed it, we have a few answers for you.

Here’s a FILTER-FREE digest of the feedback we’ve gathered for you this year from some of the most sought after employers.

Feedback from five employers

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ACCENTURE

A winning strategy: Gaining experience in a student club, preferably in a leadership position, and highlighting it on your resumé.
A mistake to avoid: Limiting your schedule to your studies exclusively and completely failing to invest even a little bit of time and energy in a part-time job or volunteer and extracurricular activities.

Your Career Centre recommends:
-    The Telfer Clubs and Associations page
-    The Career Centre Volunteer Initiatives page

BDO

A winning strategy: Paying attention to the visual presentation of the resumé and ensuring it is consistent.
A mistake to avoid: Submitting a generic resumé that has not been tailored to the targeted job.

Your Career Centre recommends:
-    The Resumé Checklist
-    The “Resumé: Resumé tailoring for a specific job posting” with the Professional Development Coordinator, offered through Career Launch.

DELOITTE

A winning strategy: Highlighting extracurricular activities (veeeeery important) and providing concrete examples of how you have strengthened and used your ability to manage ambiguity, juggle competing priorities and deal with complex situations. Also, make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and tidy.
A mistake to avoid: Applying hastily without sufficient proofreading and listing all the tasks performed without considering their relative importance.

Your Career Centre recommends:
-    The Powerful Action Verbs lexicon
-    Appointments focused on the creation, development, and use of the LinkedIn profile offered by the Career Counsellor and the Professional Development Coordinator from Career Launch.

EY

A winning strategy: Attending info sessions hosted by EY, asking questions, and introducing yourself to its representatives. Taking note of the names and job titles of the people you meet and reaching out to them on LinkedIn.
A mistake to avoid: Not tailoring the application to the organization and the targeted position.

Your Career Centre recommends:
-    The various networking events offered by the relationship managers through Career Launch
-    The Calendar of Events under Career Launch, which shows all scheduled info sessions hosted by partnering organizations at Telfer.

RBC

A winning strategy: Choosing a simple, unadorned, or even boring format or template. Using the TAB key (not tables) to create neat alignments. Including a well-written cover letter that will make people want to read the resumé.
A mistake to avoid: Crowding the resumé with word-heavy statements and irrelevant information.

Your Career Centre recommends:
-    The Chronological Resumé template (boring, but effective as a starting point)
-    The “Cover Letter: Introduction of the cover letter” appointment with the Career Development Coordinator offered through Career Launch.

WARNING: Applying all the tips mentioned in this article can lead to an increased risk of receiving invitations to job interviews. Apply at your own risk.

Joking aside, when it comes to crafting a strong job application, all the employers we consulted agreed that a winning CV is one that is tailored, concise, tidy, consistent, and full of concrete examples of specific and relevant achievements beyond the classroom.