If your application is not successful.

After all the effort you put into creating an application that would grab recruiters' attention, the response is brutal: a rejection letter, often synonymous with rejection and a dead end. Are you going to stop there, feel sorry for yourself, or blame this cruel world that isn't giving you a chance to show your worth? Be bigger than that: make it a personal challenge and consider this rejection as an opportunity to overcome obstacles. Here are a few tips to help you question yourself in a healthy and constructive way.

When you receive a rejection after sending your CV (curriculum vitae), we advise you not to insist with the company to find out the exact reasons for their decision. At this stage, no personal connection has been created between you and the company, and contacting the recruiter for more details on the rejection of your application will prove unhelpful. They will only tell you that other candidates were a better fit for the position.

1. Steps you can take:
First, make sure your application doesn't contain any obvious errors:
Are there any spelling mistakes?
Is your application complete (cover letter, CV, and possibly work certificates and diplomas)?
Is the chronology of your previous activities perfect?
Is your personal information complete (age, nationality, work permit, valid contact details)?
Then have the quality of your CV validated by a third person: a trusted person or a career counseling professional. Ask them frankly and transparently why they would hire you based on your application, but especially why they wouldn't.

2. Ask them to evaluate your CV based on:
Its clarity and readability: what impression does your CV give, in terms of its structure and formatting, its writing style, and its phrasing?
The match between your application and the position in question: were you impactful enough in your cover letter? Are there enough elements and skills in your CV that match the requirements of the position? Is your cover letter sufficiently personalized for the position and the company?
The match between your personality and your application: does your application reflect you? Have you highlighted your qualities sufficiently? Are your goals clear?
Here are some tips to help you better tailor your application to market demands:

Don't hesitate to ask your former employers (whether during internships or summer jobs) to write you a letter of recommendation, which is often more personal and impactful than a work certificate.
Invest time in preparing a job search plan before diving in headfirst. Take the time to reflect on what you have done and what you are considering in the short or long term to give more depth to your thinking. Examine your real needs for your professional career and your true motivations before rushing into action. Your CV and cover letter will then be better suited to your profile and therefore more credible.
Take the needs stated in the advertisement that interest you and include them in your CV, if you possess these skills. Show, concretely, especially in the cover letter, how and in what circumstances you have deployed these skills.

Success-and-career.ch

Posted on February 1, 2012.