<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Let's be honest: Nothing can be more frustrating than applying for a job. After working so hard in school for years, you finally reach your future\u2014and it's just an electronic form. You search job site after job site, you attach your resume and a generic cover letter, and off they go into the void.\n\nBut online applications are the norm these days, which means you have to pass digital muster before you ever get the chance to dazzle an interviewer in person. We caught up with Amanda Augustine, the job search expert at career website The Ladders, to learn the reasons first-timers often get ignored, and what you need to do to get your foot in the door. Learn from these mistakes!\n\nYou didn't take the application seriously.\n\n It might seem like this goes without saying, since it's a job application and all, but when you're looking at some boring form, it can feel like you don't need to follow every tedious step because you're so eager to just hit 'submit' already. \"It's a long process, so you have to be patient and fill all of it out,\" says Augustine. \"Before any real human is going to see your job application, it needs to pass through an electronic gatekeeper.\"\n\nYou used the same resume every time.\n\n A computer skims your application materials to seek out just the right skills, so if you don't have the correct words in your resume, you won't even be considered. Make the employer happy! \"Identify the qualifications and requirements for the job and make sure your resume reflects them,\" explains Augustine. \"Don't use synonyms, because the system is looking for basic key words.\" So if they're looking for \"social media skills,\" use that phrase instead of boasting about your number of Twitter followers.\n\nYou were too embarrassed to see if you knew someone, anyone, at the company.\n\n \"One section people oftentimes overlook is the place that says, 'Do you know anyone at this organization?'\" says Augustine. You've probably heard about networking, networking, networking, and while it can be intimidating (especially when you're young and don't know anyone yet!), you don't have to be a schmoozer to have a connection somewhere. Ask around with your friends, family, and classmates to see if they can introduce you\u2014statistically, you're ten times more likely to get a callback if you know someone who already works there.\n\nYou didn't use your research skills.\n\n You're not actually applying into a black hole, even if it does feel that way. Some person will need to do the hiring eventually, so your first task is to find out who that someone is. Google around and check LinkedIn to see if you can track down the hiring manager\u2014that way, you can address your cover letter directly to them and follow up with an outside email or phone call. One word of caution: Pay attention to job postings, as many will specify that they do not want calls. \"You're doing yourself a disservice if you call anyway,\" warns Augustine. \"It means you can't follow instructions.\"\n\nYou typed in funny fonts.\n\n There are plenty of times in life when you want to stand out from the crowd, but your resume isn't one of them. Wacky fonts, images, and headers and footers are hard to read, and might become scrambled between your computer and a recruiter's. A study from The Ladders shows that, on average, employers spend a mere six seconds scanning your resume before they determine if they want to consider you or toss you. They know what they're looking for, and a cutesy font isn't going to change their minds. Don't distract from your accomplishments.\n\nYou forgot about your online imprint.\n\n Have you ever Googled yourself? Do it now so you know what comes up when someone else does! Clean up your social media accounts (\"If you don't want your grandmother seeing it, you don't want a recruiter seeing it,\" says Augustine) and consider editing your name on Facebook (first and middle, maybe?) so you're less searchable there. Go the extra mile by following companies that you're interested in on Twitter or liking them on Facebook\u2014it shows you're passionate and engaged."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/job-application-mistakes>