There’s nothing quite like striking gold in your job hunt.
Discovering a vacancy for your dream job sparks joy, elation and pure delight...until you see the closing date.
You can literally feel the euphoria evaporating as glee is increasingly replaced with an impending sense of doom (accompanied by numerous expletives). How on earth are you supposed to get an application finished by the end of tonight?
Never has the well-known saying ‘keep calm and carry on’ been so imperative. After getting the impulsive gripes and protests out of your system, convince yourself you’re on the set of Tom Cruise’s less-known film Mission: Possible and get your head down.
First things first: cancel your evening catch-up sesh down the pub, set the TV to record (and ban your friends from discussing Homeland until you’ve caught up) and put the kettle on.
Make efficient use of previous work
Although this is not advisable when you have time to spare, the quickest way to submit a decent job application is by rehashing material you’ve used before. You should already have an up-to-date CV in your files, so this shouldn’t require too much extra work.
Different application forms tend to follow roughly the same model, so if you’ve got previous answers saved onto your computer, get these up and adapt them so they are suitable for the emergency job application.
Copy and tweak rather than copy and paste, as it is important to tailor responses to the specific firm and requirements of the position. This is an excellent time saver because you will be able to focus all your efforts on adjusting answers to the role rather than retyping basics.
Quick fix cover letter
When time is not on your side, base your cover letter on the job description. Keep it sharp, focused and tell employers exactly what they need to know by concentrating on the details supplied in the company’s own depiction of the role.
Prove with examples that you fulfil the requirements and have as many of the desirable qualities as possible, and then wrap it up. In order not to waste time, make sure you ask yourself whether a sentence is tailored to one or more of the criteria listed in the job description.
Hopefully this will fast track you to a graduate scheme or job! Have you ever had to cook up a last minute application? What was the outcome?