Thread: need opinion on applying for a job

Hi all okay here is my situation

I would like to apply for a goverment job where I cannot go an drop off the resume since it says to mail ir fax. I know that this position is going to have many applicants and that I am qualified. Now.....my question is in order for my application to stand out do you think that I would be poor form to send my resume by courier with a small bunch of flowers in order to stand out from the crowd, or should I just mail it away and hope for the best. Would I be hurting my chances if I do something out of the norm? Any opinions good or bad as always are appriciated


Thanks

I work for a goverment entity. IHMO, don't waste your effort on a courier or flowers. You application/resume will probably be going to a receptionist/entry technician to be logged in. After that a HR person will review the app and resume. Then it will proceed on to the hiring authority per whatever procedures they use. IMO, put your effort into answering any suplemental questionaires they have to the best of your ability. Also very important, write your resume to the position you are applying for. Keep the information relivant to the postiion. The reviewers should enjoy looking over your resume.

Good luck!!

The person that was listed to send directly to is the Hiring Manager and it lists her name, do you really think that it will still go through all those people first before her? If I courier directly under her name will it still be a waste? Any tips on how to stand out from the masses?

Thanks

What Tom says!

My DH has worked for the government on and off for years. He is just now being hired back on again (instead of working for a government contractor) and so has gone through the process.

Look for buzzwords/keywords on the job posting and key those in your resume. Make sure you are qualified per their requirements and make sure to point out those qualifications.

Personally, if I received a resume with flowers (and I used to do hiring) I'd think it somewhat tacky. JMHO but to me that looks way too much like trying too hard - I'd rather your resume stand up for itself!

Char

Thanks for the opinions, I think I will for-go the flowers and just do it the old fashioned way and hope that it will get noticed from the rest of the resumes. I mean I can only do what I can do to the best of my abilities and hope that its good enough. Thanks again for the help

I am a hiring authority for my team. From my standpoint when I get some of those "wacky" things I do look over the app closer. But it seems to be to look for reasons to excuse them. You should be professional in all your communications. I make it a point to tell all candidates that all communications are to go thru HR. I've received some really crazy emails and letters.

Thanks again, I bet you have seen some crazy things. I have been a manager at one point for a smaller business and have seen quite the craziness as well.....lol. I guess now I think of it would have been a bit suspicious if it was reversed...and I was the person hiring.

Make sure your resume is easily read, that it makes sense, that it's neatly written, and looks professional.

We took a grant writing course, and the teacher suggested that when you submit a grant, to put it on a softer color paper, like an ecru or beige, because it's easier to read, and people who review grants appreciate that because they read reams and reams of pages; however, I would think that a resume should probably be on the best, whitest paper you can find. It would probably look more professional. That's just my opinion. You might try printing it on 2 different colors, and see which one looks better, more professional, beige or white.

Best wishes on your applying for this job; hope it's what you want and that you are the best person for it.

Thanks and that is a good point I will buy some of both and try out how they look and pick one and hope for the best.....lol.

The last resume I did, which was a number of years ago, I used a light grey good quality paper. It provided a softer background and the black type stood out real well.

i was listening to npr last night on the way home (national public radio) and they were talking to emily post and the head of hr at google about resume's etc...

the main thing they were talking about was "thank-you" letters after an interview... Both women said a hand written letter after the interview was better than an email letter... but if time is a factor, make sure that the email letter does not contain any lol (abrevations), and that you do not make up a form letter for other iterviews and forget to make the changes...

Both women said that the letter was not necessarily the reason for the job offer, but many people that sent letters (myself included) said that after they got the job, they were told that their letter might have been the thing that made them stand out of the crowd....

so... don't forget to get out that that little letter, (I have gone to the card store and gotten little thank you cards) and make sure that you
1 thank the person for their time in meeting with you
2 reiterate one or two of your strong points (in short sentances)
3 let them know how excited you are about the possibility of working there

hope this helps
c