Two points to remember

I thought I wouldn't be blogging about how to apply for jobs anymore, and I guess I thought wrong.

Anyway, I would like to highlight two more points. These may seem trivial but they do carry weight if the prospective employer is particular. More so when the number of applicants is high.

Point number one, when sending in applications over e-mail, make sure that you apply to one employer at a time. Do not c.c. one application to several employers in one e-mail. One applicant actually did this when sending her application. Aside from Yayasan Ilmuwan, she also sent the same application to two other companies. The message in the e-mail is a generic message, something along the line of "applying for a suitable post".

My advice is to never do this. Send individual applications to the respective companies and organisations. Take the trouble to address individual company or organisation, and state the actual post that you are applying for. The applicant may be thinking that it is good to just c.c. one application to several companies and organisations, but the impression that the applicant gave is that he/she is lazy and just trying out his/her luck.

Even if you still want to send one application to several companies and organisations, please be smarter. Use blind carbon copy (b.c.c.) in your e-mail. This way, those receiving your application would not be aware of other applications. But still, one must state what position one is applying for. Bear in mind that the prospective employer has to sift through hundreds of applications for more than one position.

Point number two, when attaching files, make sure that the files are properly (and decently) named. Remember you are applying for a job, not writing an e-mail to a friend. Improperly and indecently named files will give the wrong impression to the prospective employer.

Like I said, these two points may seem insignificant, but they do give a certain impression to the companies and organisations that one is applying for. Always remember that there are hundreds of applicants applying for the same position. It is important to give out the right impression from the way we send in our applications. Otherwise, one would risk not being shortlisted for interview.