Earlier this month, I posted Part I of this series in which I indicated that a common reason job applicants don\u2019t get to the next step of the hiring process is that they fail to write well in their communication with the employer. Today, I\u2019ll point out that another reason that job applicants fall short is that they fail to read well.<\/p>\n
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I can hear it now: \u201cWait a second, Charles. You mean that basic reading and writing abilities hurt professional candidates?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes, they do. If you can read and write well, you have an advantage over a lot of other candidates.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unbelievable, but it\u2019s true. Some people really paid attention in elementary school and others didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Did you ever hear someone say \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as a dumb question?\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, let me tell you: there IS such a thing as a dumb question when you are applying for a job.<\/p>\n
If you ask the employer a question where the answer to that question can be found in the job advertisement that you are responding to, the employer is going to assume that you don\u2019t have basic reading skills. For example, if you ask what the qualifications are for a job and the qualifications are specified in the job advertisement that you are responding to, you\u2019ve pretty much killed your chances of getting that job.<\/p>\n
So, before beginning communications related to a job that you are pursuing, try to let the job advertisement answer your questions. Then, only ask questions that the employer has not already provided the answers to.<\/p>\n
Oh, and one other thing: make sure that the job title you reference in your cover letter exactly matches the job title in the advertisement. If the advertisement refers to the position as \u201cSenior Sourcing Manager,\u201d do not say that you wish to be considered for the \u201cProcurement Manager\u201d position or any other variation of the job title. Doing so will only lead the employer to conclude that you cannot read.<\/p>\n
So, the lesson of Part I is learn to write. The lesson of Part II is learn to read.<\/p>\n
Simple enough, right? Part III coming soon\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Earlier this month, I posted Part I of this series […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"yoast_head":"\n