Applying to jobs online? Make sure you do these 3 things

Many people will tell you that applying to jobs online is a fruitless effort and the way to land a job is through networking and referrals. While it is true that many positions are filled through personal connections, it is also true that many people do get hired simply by applying to a job online, even without an insider lead. International development jobs can be competitive, particularly for those looking to break into the field or for generalist types of positions that may have broader selection criteria than highly specialized technical roles. For some of the most popular positions, recruiters may receive upwards of 300 applications. For well-known organizations like the United Nations or World Bank, the numbers can often total in the thousands. No wonder employers will sometimes choose to interview someone they know over wading through a sea of resumes. But, employers don’t always know someone who is a right fit for the job, and even if they do, most employers want to make sure that they hire the best person for the job, not just the easiest. To help make it easier for them to want to hire you, make sure you always do these three things when applying to jobs online. 1. Tailor your resume or CV The No. 1 piece of advice I hear from recruiters is to always tailor your CV to the specific position. Many people do not, so taking this extra step will already put you way ahead of the pack. Particularly as you get further along in your career, there are hundreds if not thousands of projects, accomplishments and details you could choose to highlight. While CVs for global development positions can break the one-page rule, most recruiters advise limiting your resume to a two- to three-page document. More important than page length, however, is focusing on the most relevant experience for a particular job. Including other nonrelevant experience, even if impressive, will make it harder for the most relevant experience to stand out. When recruiters receive a high number of applications, the goal of the first round of screening is to whittle that number down to a manageable size. Often more junior recruiters, who may not have much familiarity with your area of expertise, will do this first round of cuts. They will be looking to see if you meet the objective requirements of the position before passing you on to the next step. You want to make sure you clearly and explicitly show that you meet the requirements of the job, mirroring the keywords and terminology of the job description, which a generic resume may or may not accomplish. In addition to helping better market yourself to the particulars of a position, taking the time to tailor your resume shows the prospective employer that you are motivated, detail-oriented and the kind of employee that would take the extra step to get a job done right. READ: How to be a CV showoff without overwhelming a recruiter 2. Use the 80 percent rule There are many ways the requirements in a job description are created. Some are literally copy and pasted from the qualifications in a statement of work or request for proposal created by the employer’s funder. In this case, the employer often has little control or say in the selection criteria. If, for example, its funder requires a master’s degree in a specific field which you do not possess, there may be little wiggle room. READ: How to overcome strict foreign aid job requirements However, often the job requirements are created with the hiring department as a wish list of the skills, experience and education they think will be best suited for the job. They want candidates who meet all of these requirements, but may very well consider someone who meets most. A good rule of thumb is to only invest your time applying to jobs where you meet at least 80 percent of the criteria. Some qualifications can be more flexible than others. For example, if a position calls for a minimum of 10 years’ experience and you have eight years and otherwise fit the criteria, go ahead and apply. However, if a position requires fluency in French and you only took a couple of years in college, this is unlikely to be negotiable; instead spend your time applying to jobs where you will have a better chance. 3. Apply early With the exception of publicly funded institutions like the World Bank, United Nations system and bilateral donor agencies where they typically do not start reviewing job applicants until after the deadline, many application deadlines are set arbitrarily and recruiters do not wait until it has passed to start reviewing resumes and scheduling interviews. So if a job posted online has a deadline a month from now, do not think that means you have a month to apply for the job. Recruiters will be the most eager to review applications in the first few days after posting the job. Once they have a good pool of applicants to work with, the bar to make it to that round may get higher. Or, they could already identify, interview and hire a candidate well before the job application deadline is reached. If you wait too long, the job may already be filled or the interview schedule could be full of promising candidates. READ: Early bird gets the worm You do want to take the time to tailor your application, but do so quickly so you can be one of the first applicants noticed. Pro tip: Set up customized daily job alerts on Devex so you will get notified right away of new openings that fit your areas of interest. While networking can always help a job search, if you always do these three things when applying to jobs online you still have a chance of landing that dream job — with our without the connections. Have you landed a job before simply by applying online? What did you do to get noticed without any personal connections? If you are a recruiter, how can applicants not yet known to the organization stand out in the application process? Please leave your tips and advice in the comments section below. Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search - all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.