Writing a Job Application - Then vs Now

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Modern PowerPoint Presentation
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• When I was in my early 20s, a very long time
  ago, I attended a jobs course. Without revealing
  just how old I am, this course was in the years
  BC (Before Centrelink).
• I had never been unemployed before, having left
  my job at a café to join the Australian Army as
  an apprentice when I was 16, so I was sent to one
  of the new jobs programs.
• This program was designed to help young
  unemployed people by providing training in
  writing job applications, preparing resumes and
  attending interviews.

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• I was excited and ready to make the most of the
  experience, especially the job application
  writing.
• The lady running the course was very excitable,
  comparable to a puppy nearly. The computers were
  far from todays standard and I was quite inept
  at using them, but we carried on.
• I clearly remember this experience because I was
  so excited and very keen to find a job as I had
  never not worked.

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• Our instructor made a very strong point about job
  application writing that is just as valid now as
  it was then.
• And that is, that we must make our application
  stand out. But this is the only part of that
  point that carries any legitimacy into our
  current jobs climate, as her next proposal was,
  to achieve said standing out we should use
  coloured paper, Flashy fonts and if we were
  confident enough, glitter.

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• GLITTER? Her next suggestion was to put as much
  information into the job application as possible.
  Every piece of education, every morsel of
  employment, regardless of relevance and each
  hobby we have ever had an interest in.

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• So basically, in the years BC, we were encouraged
  to send bright yellow, sparkling, fancy novels to
  prospective employers.
• As ridiculous as that sounds, there was probably
  only 10 or so job applications for every
  advertised position.
• Jump forward to today and employers have 100s of
  legitimate applications for each position plus
  the 100s that are not legitimate or genuine.
• So, the advice on standing out is definitely
  still as valid but lets look at how by comparing
  then to now.

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• The coloured paper. Now, no. A lot of job
  applications can be submitted digitally and for
  those that require a paper copy, make it white
  and clean and not creased.
• Flashy Fonts. Now, another no. Keep your fonts,
  layout and formatting clean and simple.
• If an employer is struggling to read your name
  through the swirls and curls of the font, then
  you job application will be eliminated very
  quickly.

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• Information. Now, limit the information you
  include to just the relevant information. A job
  application or cover letter should be contained
  to 1 page.
• Relevant education, relevant qualifications and
  unless you are applying for a job as a furniture
  restorer, employers do not find it pertinent that
  you liked restoring furniture in 1982.
• Tailoring your job application to each position
  you are applying for will help you in keeping it
  updated and applicable.

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• And finally, glitter. NO. NOT THEN AND NOT NOW.
  NEVER GLITTER.
• Where help was available then, real help is
  available now. Red Tape Busters have consultants
  who specialise in Job Application writing ready
  to assist you today.
• Pairing yourself with the right Job application
  writer can give you that stand out edge you need
  in this current job market. Red Tape Busters can
  help you obtain your dream job.

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