How to Successfully Apply for a Job on LinkedIn.

I recently went through the hiring process for a new, entry-level marketing position.  It’s a meaty position for a new marketer to gain a breadth of real experience. This is not a gopher position making copies and getting coffee.  Our environment is the stereotype of what the millennials say they are looking for:  entrepreneurial spirit, casual (in wardrobe and atmosphere), freedom to work from home, free lunch twice a month, coffee with all the fixins, sweet and savory snacks, beer and soda fridge, shuffleboard and ping pong. And I also bring my dog to work on occasion!

I was shocked and frustrated by the laziness of the candidates. LinkedIn has an “apply now” button that enables the lazy candidates to fill my inbox.  So, before I share the details, I should say this is solely my opinion as the Gen X hiring manager. I am sure there are other people out there who are willing to accept the lazies.   

In the posting on LinkedIn I stated, “Interested candidates please submit a cover letter and resume.” I think that is clear: a cover letter and resume.  The cover letter shows me a preview of your writing skills and gives you a chance to share things about you that are not on your resume.  It also shows that you can read and follow directions. Here are the results:

No resume

We received over 150 applicants from Linked-In.  More than half did not send a resume.  They immediately went into the virtual ‘no’ pile.

• Some of these were worthy candidates with great experience. A great cover letter would have gotten them a phone interview.
• Some had related skills in non-marketing positions. The cover letter could have sold me on why they were switching fields, why they were interested in marketing and why they were interested in this position.
• Some only had company name and title with no detail.  I don’t know why these people even bothered!  They just showed me they won’t even do the bare minimum!

Resume no cover letter

• Many of these candidates appeared to want to shift careers from HR or Sales to marketing. With no cover letter to explain their goals or transferrable skills, these also quickly go to the 'no' pile.
• Some of these people had 10-20 years of experience. Again, with no cover letter, I don’t understand why they bother. The job posting asks for three years of experience so you can imagine the salary would be in line.  Thanks to LinkedIn, clicking the ‘apply now’ button takes just a second.  So why not?
• Many had typos, misspellings, random underscore and spacing issues. One person said they went to St. Loius University.  Another self-described as a millennial merketer.
• One resume had a bubble design in the background. Another had a floral letterhead.  I found this distracting. If I had been hiring a designer, it might have been more appropriate.

Resume, no cover letter 2^nd chance

• These candidates showed me they will follow some of the directions.  They also made me lower my standards.  I begrudgingly gave them a second chance and asked them via LinkedIn to send a cover letter.
• Several wrote good cover letters and moved on to the phone interview round.
• Over 10 wrote good cover letters and were asked for a phone interview but they never responded. 
• Some never responded with a cover letter. It’s a shame because they all had potential. Maybe they are not interested in the position or company. Maybe they have not checked their Linked-In messaging. Who knows!
• Several wrote horrible cover letters that showed me they have poor writing skills. They were moved to the ‘no’ pile.
• One person must have just reused an old cover letter because they focused on their desire to work in market research, an aspect of marketing not mentioned in the posting.
• One person must have copied and pasted a letter together. In the middle of a paragraph, the font size changed.  If you can’t proof your own marketing materials, I can’t expect you to be successful proofing our materials.
• One candidate declined our request because we had used the word ‘disappointed’ in our message back to them when referring to not receiving the cover letter.  They said it did not reflect well on us.  If I had asked this person to plan social media posts for Twitter and LinkedIn for the next month and this person only finished Twitter, I would be more than disappointed.

Resume and cover letter

• Three people provided both. 3 out of 150+.
• One happened to be someone I had been mentoring for the last few months. This position opened unexpectedly and I thought they were a potential match.  I like to think this candidate would have sent a cover letter before meeting me and on any application, even if it was not requested. They were immediately included in the phone interview round.
• One candidate wrote a poor cover letter and did not have the right skill set.
• The third was included in the phone interview round.

Again, I reiterate, this blog is solely my opinion. I am one hiring manager. Many of these candidates are currently working. They were successful going through the interview process somewhere else.

In answer to my title “How to Successfully Apply for a Job on LinkedIn” I have these tips:

• Create a resume.  Proof it. Have other people proof it. Proof it again. Read it forward for context and backward to find more misspellings.
• Customize your resume to the job description as much as possible. Link your skills to the job post. You don’t need to rewrite the entire thing.
• Write a cover letter.  You can create a template with a standard open and close.  Customize the middle and tie your experience and education to the job description.  It’s ok to show some personality and energy.  Tell me something that is not on your resume that you think might benefit me.  Hiring managers can see through a stock cover letter. That puts you in the ‘bare minimum’ pile but at least you sent a cover letter!
• If you have writer's block, Google it! And then make it your own.
• Proof your cover letter. Proof it again.
• LinkedIn only has the option to upload one Word or PDF document. Make your cover letter page 1 of the document.
• Include a cover letter even if they don’t ask for it.

When you get the phone interview, please prepare and think about your answers ahead of time. My next post will give you my nerdy interview preparation tips.

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