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You need to do your job application package well in order to give yourself the best chance of landing a new job. Clear, concise, accurate information is essential.
Job hunting can seem overwhelming and stressful. To make the process easier, we’ll first define what being hired entails and discuss 6 easy ways to get the job you want.
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What is a job application?
A job application is similar to a resume, but it should be used when applying for a specific position. It contains a lot of confidential information that can only be seen by recruiters and hiring personnel to review.
You may come across two types of job applications: digital application, and paper applications. When you create a digital application, companies will ask for certain information. Paper-based applications are also common, and they’re not as detailed because they’re not legally defended. Double-check to make sure the information is safe and accurate before you submit your resume or fill out another job application.
Some recruiters will include a digital job application with their job application package that includes other items like your resume, references and cover letter.
How to apply for a job
The following steps will help you apply for a job that matches your career goals:
-Create an account and upload your resume
-Search current listings to find a position that interests you
- Search for jobs in your field
- Research hiring companies
- Ready your resume for submission
- Decide if a cover letter is right for you
- Submit your resume and online application
- Application follow-up
- One of the best ways to find a job you enjoy is to search for jobs relating to your career in the field.
Studies show that almost 80% of applicants used the internet as one of their primary methods for finding jobs in 2015. That number is likely higher nowadays since it’s been five years since these studies were done. Regardless, it’s clear that the most common way to find jobs in your field is through an online search. Websites such as Indeed make it easier to connect with employers who are looking for your skills and experience.
2. Do your research
If you are new to job hunting, it’s important to research each company thoroughly. The best place to start would be the company website’s “about” page. You might also try a search query for the company name on Google News or other data sources for information about what’s been happening with the company in recent years, including any potential criticism.
In a world of endless information, connecting with the people within companies is an important start. Employees will have valuable insight which can help you figure out whether or not the company is a good fit for you. Researching this way will also make it easier to understand the company’s culture and values.
If you’re still struggling to find a company, you might want to consider searching through our company database.
3. Ready your resume for submission
To prepare your resume for the application process, you’ll want to make sure that it is up-to-date and optimized for the job you are applying to. Updating means adding your most recent education, experience and skills in chronological order. If your resume is organized by sections, make sure that the most recent ones are listed first.
If you have a resume, it’s important to update it each time you apply for a new position. Start by reading the job description and adding keywords in your resume that describe your skillset.
4. Decide if a cover letter is right for you
The important thing in modern job applications is an applicant’s resume. If the application doesn’t ask for one, it may not be necessary to include a cover letter. The exception would be if there’s some explanation written on the application that would require one–it should make sense from the context. If you want to include a cover letter, make sure mine is concise and highlights your accomplishments.
5. Submit resume and online application
It’s important for your resume and cover letter to be ready before you start applying for jobs. Online applications can ask for attachments, but if you copy and paste from your resume into the application, it can lead to formatting issues. When completing an application, remember to answer each question thoughtfully and shape your answer to the needs of that company.
6. Application Follow-up
If you’re still waiting to hear from hiring managers about your application, we offer some advice for how to follow up. Hiring managers may need time to sort through the resumes and applications, so give them at least a couple of weeks before following up. You can send an application follow-up letter in the form of an email or call the hiring manager’s company and ask to speak with him or her.
Tips for applicants
If you’re planning to apply for a job, here are some tips to make the process even smoother:
Make sure your privacy settings on social media are set how you want them. This is important so you don’t accidentally share anything that should stay private online.
When it comes to looking for employment, you’ll have more success if you network digitally and utilize business social media sites and professional networks. This will allow you to reach out to hiring managers and make a connection, which will show that you’re truly interested in their company.
To make the right decision, speak with current and former employees of your company. Figure out what it’s like to work there, and what other factors are important to them when making a hire. The more you talk to folks that have been in your shoes, the better prepared you’ll be for a successful job interview.
Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to post a job on Indeed:
Indeed easy job posting process starts with getting the basic information you want to include. Just answer a few simple questions like your industry and location, and then we’ll help you create a post by piecing together all of your provided information for you. We’ll also take care of looking for new candidates on Indeed so you can spend more time making connections.
The process of listing a job can take less than 10 minutes, and can even be done in just a few clicks! If you want some help creating your job description, check out How to Write Great Job Titles and Job Descriptions for Jobs on Indeed
This guide will teach you how to create a successful Indeed post so that you can find the right candidate for your job. The skills and experience you include will attract high-quality resumes.
What is a job post?
A job post is a recruitment advertisement for a vacant position. It’s also the first impression a job seeker has of your company.
A job description generally includes a summary of the duties and responsibilities of the position as well as required qualifications, such as skills, education, etc. It often includes whether it’s a contract, part-time or full-time position.
How to post a job on Indeed
Want to learn how to post a job on Indeed? Here’s a step-by-step guide about how you can do it.
Step 1: Click the Post a Job button to get started
If you’re looking for a job, start by clicking the button at indeed.com/hire or here. There are many options and opportunities for all types of people!
If you’ve posted a job before, the Post a Job button can always be found in your Employer Dashboard.
Step 2: Enter your job details
You’ll have a chance to customize the details of your job once you move on to the interview question. You might be tempted to skip certain job details, but they may attract more qualified candidates if they are included.
According to our research, job seekers primarily search for new positions when they are on their breaks at work or after they get home. They use their skills, remote/WFH preference, and commute time to determine if this is the opportunity for them. If you present all the information a job seeker needs upfront, you will give them a better chance of finding the right match for them.
Some of the most important info to include is:
- Pay scale
-Lowest Pay:
-Highest Pay: - Benefits
- Shift details
- Location
- Required qualifications and skills
- Type of job: Full-time or part-time
- Work from home/remote
Like any job post, the more information you include, the better. All the details you list will be utilized to show a high-quality candidate that this is the ideal position for them in search results.
Step 3: Add your job description
Wondering how to write a job description? Simply start with one of our templates. We’ll give you a great head start when it comes to writing your own job post, thanks to our proven templates for hundreds of jobs.
When you’re ready to post your listing, we’ll prompt you to add your job description.
After researching job descriptions, these are the qualities we found to be most successful:
Starts with required qualifications
Has small, easy-to-read paragraphs (not big blocks of text)
Uses bullet points to break up text
Has an easy-to-understand vocabulary
Is written in an upbeat, conversational tone
Step 4: Include applicant qualifications + assessments
Businesses of all sizes use Indeed to find great employees. Our free applicant qualification and assessment tools can help you find and filter for qualified applicants, so that you know who to call for an interview.
The Applicant Qualifications page is an ideal place to understand more about potential job candidates. As the hiring manager, you can determine their level of suitability for your position and avoid wasting time with applicants that are a bad fit. Indeed has pre-made questions to choose from based on your specific job title to help you get all the information you need upfront. You can also create your own questions and include as many as you like in the application. Learn more here about how to use Applicant Qualifications on Indeed.
When your applicant doesn’t meet the necessary requirements, it saves you time by automatically rejecting them rather than having to reject them yourself. By rejecting applicants that can’t contribute to your business, you qualify for the Responsive Employer Badge, meaning job seekers will know they have a better chance at getting a response from you.
If you want to put your applicants’ skills to the test, our assessments are a great option. We offer 135 pre-made skills assessments, like general skills or role-specific ones. A pre-employment assessment both proves that they know the subject and demonstrates how much they’re interested in the job.
When you post a job opportunity on Stoncity, adding a skills test to the posting can be great for two reasons: (1) it helps you quickly prioritize which applicants to contact for interviews; and (2) it can show a candidate’s commitment to the role if they choose to complete a skills test.
Step 5: Choose to sponsor or post for free
The vast majority of jobs on Indeed can be posted for free.[3] However, if you want more applicants to see your job post, sponsoring your job gives it a better chance of being seen.
Use the job comparison chart below to see the differences between free jobs and sponsored jobs on Indeed. For both, your job listing will appear at the top of relevant search results for job seekers. However, our free tier gives you a number of perks that are not available with a sponsored listing. We also believe in making it easier for you to manage jobs and candidates – so we integrate with your existing ATS (Applicant Tracking System). On the other hand, a sponsored listing includes unique features that allow you to post multiple identical roles statewide, nationwide or in multiple locations at once! Moreover, your hiring process becomes less time-intensive with our Instant Match feature.
*Terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits apply
**Indeed data, based on average (US)
***Indeed data, based on median (US)
Sponsored Jobs offer you the opportunity to only pay for the performance of your job. There are no long-term contracts involved, so you can start, stop or pause at any time. And when you’re sponsoring a job, you can feel confident knowing that it will make a big difference to both parties. In fact, our data shows us that employers are 4.5 times more likely to make a hire when they sponsor.[3] Learn more about how pricing on Indeed works by reading our guide here.
Most people find their dream jobs through Indeed’s job search function. But, what if you want to find a more qualified candidate? Well that’s where sponsoring comes in. Sponsoring unlocks Instant Match, which lets you see the candidates on Indeed whose resumes fit your job description and then invite them to apply. Our data shows us that individuals you invite to apply through Instant Match are three times more likely to apply to your job than those who only see it in our search engine.[4] It’s a huge perk of sponsoring.
Free v. Sponsored Jobs
When deciding whether or not to post for free or sponsor your job, here are some good reasons to sponsor:
You need to make a hire as soon as possible
It can be a great challenge to find just the right person for a specialized hard-to-fill position (e.g., nurse, software engineer, manager).
Hiring in a competitive market
Great job descriptions are a start, but even the most qualified job seekers may not apply if your title isn’t the right fit for their experience.
Step 6: Get feedback on your job description
Before posting your job, get it reviewed by your colleagues. Consider getting feedback from people who will be working directly with the new employee or those who have done this role in the past. Our team also has some insights on what makes a great job description, which you can find here.
Considerations before posting a job
If you’re about to post a new job listing, be sure to have conversations with your hiring team and prepare a few things beforehand.
Align on required vs. nice-to-have qualifications
When multiple people are tasked with the responsibility of finding a good match for a given role within an organization, it’s important that everyone is on the same page about which skills and qualifications are grounds for exclusion.
For your job listing, make sure to describe both the required qualifications and the preferred qualifications. This will help attract the right applicants and you can use this information to weed out applicants before they get too far in the process. You may also want to consider which of the questions on the application are deal breakers and should be marked as such.
Confirm a pay range for the job
When a job candidate applies for a position, they want to be sure that their salary needs are met. If you and your team aren’t on the same page about salary, make sure you list a minimum or desired range for salary on your job posts. You can take advantage of our pricing recommendation tool as well as Indeed Salaries to determine an approximate range for pay for your given location and industry.
Decide who is eligible to receive the application.
As applications for your job start coming in, you’ll get an email of all the applicants on a daily basis. This email will be sent to the email address you create when you sign up for proofreaders.by . However, if you want your colleague to receive the emails instead of yourself, please enter their email address in the field below and they’ll get it delivered straight to them.
You can specify different email addresses depending on who the hiring manager is for each role.
If you would like to get updates via email when candidates submit resumes or upload their “portfolios”, you can customize your email preferences in your dashboard.
Decide on cover letter requirements
When applicants submit their application, they must include a cover letter. Let them know in the body of your job posting if this is mandatory.
Job posting language requirements
To help job seekers find their perfect match, it’s important to post a clear and compelling job listing. Make sure you adhere to the guidelines of Indeed’s word-limit requirement as you work on your job posting:
Please refrain from using offensive language
With our technology, you can eliminate low-quality titles and misleading headlines for improved results.
You’re not allowed to plagiarize other people’s content
We firmly believe in equality. This means we won’t discriminate against qualified candidates, no matter their age, race, gender or sexual orientation.
Do not break any state and federal laws.
FAQs
- Start your search. The best way to start your search is to identify the reasons you’re looking for a new job. …
- Prepare your resume. …
- Prepare your cover letter. …
- Submit applications. …
- Interviews. …
- Background checks. …
- The job offer.