How to write stronger job applications – use the clues

You’ve seen a job you want to apply for. There’s no time to waste – get your CV ready, draft a cover letter, tackle the application questions. But are you ready? Have you thought about how to craft an application that makes it easier for organisations to shortlist you? Here’s how to use the job listing to write stronger job applications.

Why it’s worth the time

So why spend time with it? Well, in the treasure hunt of finding a job (that’s nowhere near as fun as a treasure hunt), this is where you find all your clues. The things that can help you and lead you in the right direction, if you choose to use them. It’s the difference between wandering around looking for treasure hoping you’ll end up in the right place, and taking a guided route to get there.

What you’re actually looking for

Taking time with the information you’re given (provided it’s good) helps you to build a picture of this job and environment. 

• What is this role? 
• What is this place? 
• What do they do? 
• What do they want you to do? 
• What’s important to them? 
• What are they trying to achieve?
• How will you be helping with that?
• What sort of working culture and style do they seem to have? 

Be thorough in taking this in – these are the ingredients that will help you write stronger job applications. It isn’t just about getting to know the person specification section and the bullet points of your potential tasks and responsibilities. It’s about the whole thing, top to tail. Some job packs are littered with information – it doesn’t all fall nicely into those sections. The organisation might not specifically be shortlisting based on something they wrote in the introduction, but they’ll probably be keeping an eye out for it nonetheless. So go through it with a fine tooth comb. 

What good looks like

Highlight or note down all the clues they’ve given about what they’re looking for in the person they’ll hire – qualities, experience, skills, interests, knowledge – and what this new hire will do. You should end up with some sort of list of key points and key words. Take time to understand them all. If you can describe the essence of the job and the person they’re looking for to someone, without looking at the pack, and they understand it, you’ve nailed it.

The time this takes depends on the amount of information to go through and how well you know this type of job and the organisation. Spending quality time with it might take ten minutes or it might take an hour. It’s time well spent if it saves you a wasted application, and it’s time well spent if you decide to apply.

Is it worth applying?

Now you’ve got a handle on it, the first priority is to check in with yourself – ‘does this sound like a job for me?’. Make a considered decision here – is it worth you putting energy and thought into this application? 

• In what ways does this sound like a job for you?
• In what ways does it sound like it’s not a job for you?
• Do you think you would want this job, if you got it? 
• If yes, what is it about it that appeals?
• Do you want to make the effort to apply? 
• If yes, is anything missing or unclear? Go searching for it. 

If you’ve decided to apply you’re already well ahead of a lot of other applicants – you’re going to be applying with good grounding and clear intent.

Building a bridge between you and them

Now it’s time to show the people hiring that you get it. To use all of that information to show your understanding and build a bridge between you and the organisation. You could look at the job pack as ‘here’s who we are’ and your application as ‘here’s who I am’. But the best applicants will use their application to build a relationship between the two – ‘here’s some stuff about me and how it fits with what you want and need’. That’s the basis of writing a stronger job application. Use your notes to guide the decisions you need to make throughout your application, to highlight the things that matter most. Decisions like:

• What you include on your CV and in what order
• What to include in a cover letter/supporting statement
• What approach to take to questions you need to answer
• What sort of style to use

How the organisation uses the person specification

Having built your broad picture, zone in on the person specification (person spec). People often focus on the tasks and responsibilities part of the job pack in their application, but addressing that alone won’t get you shortlisted. 

The person spec is the bit where the organisation sets out the things their ideal candidate will have. Throughout the application process a good employer will look for evidence of how you meet the points in the person spec. Your progression through the first stage depends on how many of these boxes you tick, and how well you tick those boxes. 

When they gather the various bits of your application, they’ll go through it – manually or using tech – looking for evidence of those points they’ve set out. They could take a brief glance, or it could be very thorough. It’s almost like marking – they’ll be ticking the boxes you meet, scoring how well, and using your score to make a decision.

How you can use the person specification

For this first round, take each bit of the person spec in turn and make sure you address it in your application, including at least one relevant example for each point to show that you have what they’re looking for. If there’s more than one example you could choose, this is where you use your knowledge of the role – the tasks and responsibilities – and what the organisation is all about (mission, culture, values) to guide you. Include the examples you have that most closely relate to what you’ll be doing in this role and how you’ll be doing it.

If you’ve got other things to offer or say that relate to things they’ve mentioned elsewhere in the job pack, brilliant! You might have missed that opportunity if you hadn’t been so thorough. Weave those into your application if there’s room (but don’t crowd out the things that relate directly to the person spec), or make a note of them in case there’s a good moment for them later in the process.

That’s how you can use the job pack to help you write stronger job applications. Find the clues, use them to put your best foot forward, and help the people hiring see how you’d slot in. The outcome isn’t in your hands, but the input and the process is yours to do well.

Hi, I’m Helen. I’m a qualified careers coach based in Godalming, Surrey. I support clients across the UK to get unstuck through bespoke careers conversations. Find out more about me and how I can help.