Top Reasons why Applications Fail!

Posted by | August 8, 2011 | CV & Application

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All of us know that HR managers have less and less time to check CVs (Curriculum Vitae) and that’s why it makes sense to really invest time and effort into your CV, in fact 32% of all applications are turned down within less than 60 seconds and 13% of the HR managers even decide within the first 30 seconds after viewing the application if the applicant will or will not get the job. HR careers and jobs in management are in the rise, and that’s why your application needs to stand out, without breaking any guidelines and by following the basics. Soon there will be some blog posts about how to stand out from the rest and how education plays an important role. Here are some basics to go by, which should fulfill your application, simply by taking the negatives and transforming them into positives. Why do HR managers turn down applications so fast? What are the top reasons for that? Educating yourself and taking a Human Resource Management course can help answer that question. Remember HR managers must obtain great management and leadership skills in order to be successful.

Why do HR managers turn down applications so fast, what are the top reasons for that?

  1. (43%) Requirements and competences are copied from the job opening into the application
  2. (42%) The CV is too long and has too big, hard to read text blocks
  3. (25%) The CV is 3 pages or longer
  4. (23%) Only a CV was attached to the application, no motivation letter
  5. (16%) The CV just did not match the job opening
  6. (11%) The email address in the CV seemed very unprofessional

Of course there are other clssics that lead to be turned down such as too many typing mistakes within the application or obvious fake facts which can be simply identified by overlapping timings.

So what you can take out of these 6 top reasons why a CV gets turned down and you might not get the job. It is as simple as turning the negative facts into positive and simply do it right. Let me have my suggestions.

  1. Mark the important requirements and competencies and give the answer in your CV and / or motivation letter but do not copy them 1 by1 rather show by your experience and knowledge that you have these requirements. HR managers will see that.
  2. KISS – Keep It Short & Simple. Of course not too short but for example list your experience and give examples on the last 2 what exatly you did there. This even leaves you space to talk about your space in the interview about something that the interviewer does not know yet.
  3. Similar to point 2, even if there have been many steps in your carreer and you have done a lot try to point out the highlights, what you are most proud of and what is the most reputable for you.
  4. Of course a motivation letter belongs to every application only if it is stated differently in the job offer. Even than do not send a blank email with “Attached is my CV” to the HR manager. Use the space and every possibility to present yourself because an application is nothing else but putting yourself in the right light.
  5. Of course your CV should match in general the job description, though it does not have to be 100% but you should have some experience in the field you are applying for.
  6. This point means not that you are not allowed to have a free email address such as gmail.com, hotmail.com or in Hungary freemail.hu but register your name as an emailaddress, e.g. apply with firstname.lastname {at} youremailprovider {dot} com/net/org/hu. An email from cuteflower1981 {at} emailprovider {dot} com/net/org/hu will land in the trash within seconds.

I hope these 6 steps help you to improve your CV and application a bit. This is just the first resource about how to apply best I also try to get some voices from HR persons about that in order to give you more resources and tricks what makes your application crispy and successful.

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