We have always been marvellous filterers, tuning out the information around us that simply isn't interesting or relevant to our thoughts. Our relationship with technology has taken this skill of ours one step further however. A couple of clicks will take us to any corner of the internet we desire, from increasingly portable devices, saturating our senses.
Being spoilt for choice, it's just as easy to get rid of what doesn't appeal. If it's not personalised, it won't capture our attention. A simple highlight all and delete from the inbox will sort that out.
Yet we don't apply the same rules to our own efforts. A job application without due care to personalise it and follow the guidelines of correct address is effectively spam. The writer would be most offended to be told it was junk mail after several hours of keyboard jabbing, but the emotion of securing a job can cloud your perspective. What is important to you won't necessarily matter to someone else.
It's not a domestic chore. It's not homework or detention. Sending your resume out to 300 inboxes and hitting the off switch after another day's exertion is a waste of time. Just because this resume is about you does not make it better than everyone else's - 300 new messages could well equal 300 deletes.
A better strategy is trial and error. Ask recruiters and hiring managers for feedback and tips on who to talk to, where to go next. Don't settle for their politeness - get the hard honest facts. Get others to read through your selection criteria statements. Get serious about what your reader wants, not what will satisfy you for another day in front of the computer. If you're not sure, call and ask questions. You will end up sending out less applications, but every one will get you one step closer to the prize.
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