The Element That Companies Are Looking For In All Applications

I have said it multiple times, and I will repeat it: The market is dirty.

You will see people claiming titles when they know that they are no HR Consultants or Digital Marketing Strategists.

The worst part is that you will also fall into that trap.

Let’s face it: applying with the title of the undergraduate student next to your name will bring you another step closer to rejection. And don’t get it twisted. I am with you on this one.

As I mentioned in some of my articles, I am more than willing to accept that you want to be called a copywriter, for instance, provided that you have the skills. But I am a fellow copywriter. And I am a fellow workaholic, so I know where you want to get, and I support that.

This is my little connection to the philosophical utilitarianism approach about the application process. The ends justify the means, so if you believe in your abilities and you have the skills to do it, claim something you haven’t been awarded by your university yet, so you can get the job and prove your worth.

But for most people working at this stage of their life will have an easier time understanding this process. The one institution that won’t have the same understanding of what you are trying to do is the company you are applying to.

And please, don’t take it personally. The rejection isn’t because you didn’t provide enough information about yourself.

Still, it’s that the company wasn’t convinced about your own skills. You are the one that is telling them about your own skills. The company isn’t dumb. They would never expect you to say that you don’t cope with anxiety or you cannot work under pressure.

Let me use another example and get straight to the meat of the article. For the last five years of this decade, SEO tools are becoming more and more popular, no matter what product or service is covered by the company. So what are the two sides that we have regarding SEO editors and people who can thoroughly and efficiently optimize content?

We have the ones that have limited experience in the topic and only know about keywords. We have others that have been studying this tool for recent years and are proficient in the use of backlinks, spamming, and ‘crooked content’ and the approach of the search engine’s algorithm.

If both are claiming that they are professionals, what would the company want to see? Would they accept the applicant based on the rest of his profile?

Of course not. They would accept the applicant based on the most critical factor in landing the new job: Proof.

This is what it actually comes down to. The company doesn’t know you personally. They cannot actually take the risk of making an offer while having at the back of their mind that you might not live up to the expectations.

So you have actually to show them that you can do that. Search proof in everything you do. That’s the #1 that matters when applying — enough of the ‘blah blah’ and saying that you will do everything perfectly.

You completed 3 courses in SEO editing during the summer. Great. Prove it. You were the employee of the month in the last enterprise you worked in. That’s awesome. Please show me the paper. You claim that you have thousands of views in your writing content and your blog posts every day. Well, congrats. Can you actually provide evidence?

The company needs to identify the proficient people, from the ones claiming imaginary titles to land the job. This isn’t only limited to titles. It can also cover some of the skills you are claiming to have.

The company is well aware that you might claim more skills than the ones you actually possess.

So what do you do? Stay there and claim that you are the best and most skillful copywriter in the marketplace? No. But if you think you are, you provide evidence for that claim.

The company will pay attention to what other professionals have said about you and your skills. If your connections on LinkedIn have given you 3 endorsements for your talent, you aren’t doing a good job.

Key Takeaway

And at the end of the day, the proof will come naturally. Provide excellent quality with your content and are doing a good job overall. You will get more evidence that you are proficient and skillful.

The only thing that you have to do is put in the work and never forget to include evidence in your application.

Show me that you are what you claim to be. Don’t just tell me.