Second Post

Spelling success



A survey of 1,000 applications to marketing company Lewis PR revealed that 90% of candidates are routinely dismissed as a result of poor spelling. Amazingly, one submission contained 17 spelling errors in the cover letter alone. According to company founder Chris Lewis, applicants are all too aware that a job in PR requires excellent skills in presentation but many applicants "don’t seem to realise that attention to detail is equally important".



Similarly, here at Second Post, many recruiters have said that they cannot respond to many candidates because they do not provide adequate contact details. 54% of recruiters we contacted said they made every effort to respond to all applications, successful or not, realising that such courtesy was ultimately in their business’ own interests.



"We certainly don’t want to be perceived negatively as a result of ignoring people – word travels far too quickly and you never know where some of the applicants might end up!"


If hundreds, or even thousands, of applications are coming in, employers can conceivably convert recruitment into an effective marketing tool, merely by adhering to good application practice. Yet, despite honourable intentions, many companies are still unable to reply due to negligence on the part of the applicant when completing contact details.



With demanding aptitude and competency questions to answer, perhaps the more prosaic personal details section tends to be treated too lightly. Remember, in order to create the right impression, care should be taken over every part of the application form; not just the "important" sections.



A further 22% of recruiters claimed that it was logistically impossible to reply to every single application, a belief with which many others (including our users) disagreed.
“No organisation should be too big or too busy to respond to any specific/speculative CV or enquiry made.”




Assuming that an employer does wish to reply to you, here is some advice that could just make the difference between a positive and negative response:

Always read the application through at least twice before you begin. This should ensure you don’t miss out any sections (such as contact details) and avoid repeating yourself in subsequent questions.

Research the company you are applying to thoroughly before you begin. Remember recruiters are looking for certain key competencies - these will become clear if you do your homework!

Think carefully about each question and ask yourself the following before you answer: What are they asking me? Why? What personal qualities are they looking for by asking this question?

Proof-read your application when complete and run a spelling and grammar check if applicable. Always let a friend read it through – a fresh pair of eyes can often spot a detail you may have omitted. Most good online application systems include a ‘save and return’ function which will allow you to do this.

Keep a copy of your application form answers; you will need to refer to them if you are invited to an interview.