Persistent Pays | Persistent Pays off in the End

Typical Scenario: You have just submitted an application, you have spent ages attempting and filling out the questions and it’s been two weeks and you haven’t heard anything? They said they would get back to you in ten working days but this is clearly not the case.

What do you do? Sit back and wait for them to contact you? NO that will only leave you pondering where your application has gone. Should you Call, Email a follow up to your application? YES, you have got your foot in the door its time to widen that door now and follow up your application.

The key here is that persistence pays off in the end. By following up your application with an email or phone call, reiterating your interest in working for Insert Company then this could be beneficial to support your application.

A typical follow up response could be as highlighted here:

Dear Mr. James,

I submitted a letter of application and a resume earlier this month for the programmer position advertised in the Times Union. To date, I have not heard from your office. I would like to confirm receipt of my application and reiterate my interest in the job.

I am very interested in working at XYZ Company and I believe my skills and experience would be an ideal match for this position.

If necessary, I would be glad to resend my application materials or to provide any further information you might need regarding my candidacy. I can be reached at (555)555-5555 or jdoe@abcd.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your consideration.

Following up your application with an enquiry also means you are catching the employer unaware, this could mean they have been slow to react to your application and actually they should pick their feet up and review your application. Employers love candidates to catch them unaware, it also shows your are persistent and you want to reiterate your interest and that you are still very much interested in working for the company you applied in the first place.

Moreover the phrase 'If you don’t ask you don’t get' is never more so true in this scenario, the ability to follow up your application with an email enquiring about the status is much as important as submitting it. You want your employer to know about you, you want to work for this organisation not that they want you to work for their organisation.

Why Graduates need to be dimensional

Every year the media, universities, colleges are telling you that you need to become dimensional. In today’s job environment and climate this is becoming more of a major strength in securing that dream job.

What do they mean by Dimensional?

Being dimensional can mean a number of things; firstly don’t just apply to one job. Just because you have applied, doesn’t mean you automatically think you should get an interview. There are millions of graduates out there all looking for the same thing, you need to be dimensional, just because you have had dreams of working at the organisation you have applied doesn’t mean that they will take you on. The minimum average for graduate’s applications is 35. This shows that not only do you have to apply to more than one job but there is a lot of competition within this industry.

Don’t just apply to one industry. Just because you want to work in marketing, doesn’t mean you won’t be good at finance or HR (Okay, so maybe you really hate numbers and this would be a bit of a problem). Marketing encompasses a broad range of industry sectors, including Market Research, Advertising, PR, Social Media the list continues as you would imagine. To cement your position you should apply to a broad range of industry sectors, you should not just focus on one specific industry you should also be aware of other sectors and companies in this industry too. Use your degree to the best of your ability, you may have done a module in consumer behaviour or marketing research and you may have enjoyed it, this opens up your career options and makes you become more dimensional in your job search.

The best graduates are those that are commercial aware. To be dimensional and improve your chance of securing your dream job, you need to make the most of the knowledge around you. Applying to a finance role? The importance of being commercial aware is crucially highlighted here. How has the recession affected the company you are applying too, what are the major strengths and weaknesses of the industry you are applying too maybe just a few questions that could come up in a typical job interview.

In summary then, the key to securing a graduate job or job then is you have to be dimensional. To be dimensional you need to expand your career options, the phrase ‘You never know until you have tried it’ is never more so in today’s environment, just because you haven’t dabbled with social media, doesn’t mean you won’t be any good at it. It is about taking your piece of the cake and eating it.