Creating an application employers will notice

Megan Ransom RAN04008@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Glancing down at his application - still managing to have Bob Jones legibly written after incidents with his roommate’s hot chocolate, failed pens and numerous grammatical errors -— Bob nervously enters the office. Looking up to a pair of dirty khakis, a wrinkled shirt and an application being shoved her way, the secretary doesn’t have time to respond before Bob is back out the door wondering when they’ll contact him.

Applying for a job is often intimidating; however, there are many ways to improve the chances of getting noticed when filling out an application.

“Never handwrite an application. The amount of mistakes on some applications students turn in are just embarrassing,” Beth Hendricks of the Communication Department said.

Hand-writing an application does not give off a professional impression. Instead, scan the application into the computer and type it out, or use a typewriter. Give the employer a reason to want to look at your application.

“You’ve got to make yourself stand out without being funny looking.” Dave Martin, a junior from Cocolalla, Idaho, said.

One way to stand out is to attach a well-thought-out cover letter, résumé and perhaps a letter of recommendation to the application. The employer is trying to get a glimpse at the applicant’s character; everything that can be included to make the applicant shine should be included.

Internships follow the same rules, just with the applications being turned in sooner. “Internships are highly competitive, [so students should] submit an application as early as possible and probably no later than February,” Kerry Bailey, internship assistant, said.

Simply being prepared with basic information such as addresses and phone numbers will also help a great deal. It will especially help in fast-food places where they often expect the application to be filled out in the restaurant.

Rachel Hernandez, a sophomore from Fresno, Calif., had difficulties with not having all the information she needed on the spot. Rachel tried to find a job through a temp agency her first summer home from college. Upon arriving she realized she didn’t have any of the needed information to fill out the application. After struggling for about an hour to fill in all the blank spaces and watching other people go in for interviews, she finally turned in her application and made up an excuse to leave.

Now let’s try this again. Glancing down at his neatly typed cover letter Bob enters the office. The secretary looks up to see properly ironed dress pants and shirt, and an individual inquiring after where to submit his application. The secretary thanks him for the application and says she will be in touch with him. On his way to his car Bob plans to call the office in a few days to make sure they sincerely considered his application and didn’t just discard it. Now Bob has a decent chance of employment.