This is Part 2 of Whaddya mean you can't get a job?

How To Apply For The Job

Noticed how I said, "The Job" and not "a job". You should only have to apply for one job. If you're smart, qualified and pick the right position, you will get an interview. Profitable companies are always looking for great people, despite what they say.

"We're not hiring right now," is just a nice way of saying, "You Are Doing It Wrong^TM."

Here is one example of how I would go about applying for The Job:

1. Figure out exactly who you want to work for and why.
2. Find out who the person is who can make the decision to hire you. If you don't know how to do this, you are unemployable.
3. Write a concise two-page résumé with the following information:
   1. Exactly what is unique about the company you chose that makes you want to work for them more than anyone else.
   2. Exactly which position you intend to create or fill and how you are qualified for that position, citing specific examples of your experience in your field.
   3. Your website and contact information. Get a proper domain (petrus@freshcode.co is much better than cutegirl17@yahoo.com).
4. Pay a professional to review it and make sure there are no grammatical, spelling or factual mistakes. Use a nice reading font like Georgia with a line-spacing of 1.6 and thick margins.
5. Print your crisp, two-page résumé on glossy photo paper with a colour photo of you smiling on the front page with the company's logo. This alone should get you an interview.
6. Bind it all and package everything in a bright yellow box that is way too big and put a "This Side Up" sticker on it.
7. Have the box couriered directly to the person who can make the decision to hire you at 9am on a Monday morning.

Assuming you are qualified and you do it exactly like I say, you are guaranteed to get an interview. Loren Burton knows how to apply for The Job. Learn from him.

Passing an interview is a whole different set of of skills, which I will touch on in Part 3.

If you've read this far, you should follow me on Twitter and subscribe to Fresh Insights, my infrequent rant about the latest technology news.

For further reading (added 2011-07-15), see How to Get a Job in Japan. Or Anywhere.