10 Critical Things to Do Before Applying For a Job

before applying to a job illustration

Getting accepted to a job interview is hard enough these days, let alone finding a perfect fit for you using job postings. Job seekers put so much effort into their job search to find an ideal job title in an excellent company(dream job maybe).

So many of them forget about what they should do before applying. Applying for a job posing in a hurry will put you at risk of getting rejected without even an interview.

After job seekers get rejected so many times at the job interviews, they tend to seek career advice. When you found the job posting, you may have seen that you only have only a few days left to apply for them.

So you make a hasty decision to apply without even thinking much about going through the critical steps before applying for a job.

But, you must take a few minutes to read the job description to understand what you are applying for. After you decided that you’re going to apply for the job, follow these steps to guarantee the chance of getting an interview.

01. Google yourself and see the results

It’s tough to believe that someone never did google their name to see what comes up. When something does not show up, you should not get comfortable.

Because when applying for a job, employers are going to think that you are out of date, and you have no idea of how the world works today. So, as a result, you are at the risk of getting your application rejected.

02. Get your social media up to date

Like we said earlier, googling your name is an important step that you must take when applying for a new job. The result might not be like typical news or stories that show up in the search engine.

Most of the results that show up will be from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn. You don’t have to pay a dime to set up your social media profiles, and you can easily set up them yourself.

03. Get your documents ready

The employer has no way of knowing you and your skills (other than social media profiles) to see that you have the potential to fill the job title.

Sending out the documents you need to submit with a job application such as educational certificates (such as computer skills, language skills), former employer recommendations, employment certificates, transcripts will help the employer to get an idea of you.

04. Being up to date

Sending out just a job application may have worked in the past, but they hardly get through these days without a Resume/CV and a cover letter. There are tons of ways to get resumes and cover letters online for free. But if you are applying for an executive position in a well-known company, those will never get accepted.

So, we recommend you get a well-crafted resume from a professional resume writer or resume writing service.

05. Polish up your LinkedIn profile

Having a LinkedIn profile will come in handy even if you are currently employed or your self-employed. You can use LinkedIn to talk to people like you or research about companies you may want to join or search for jobs using the LinkedIn job board. There are a lot of ways to optimize your LinkedIn page to boost your hireability.

Also, LinkedIn will come in handy if you are thinking about starting a business on your own or making a brand. Even Freelancers can use LinkedIn to get more projects to work on.

06. Research the company or the employer

You may already know about the company or have an idea of it and how it works. However, even if it is the dream company you wanted, you should take a step back and do a little research about the prospective employer.

Take a peek at their website and take time to go through their career page. Then move on to their blog and news pages to see what people who already work there are saying about it.

Like we said before, you can use Google and LinkedIn to research your future employer since they are not that hard to use. This step will give you an idea of what the company does and how they work. It will increase the chance of your application going through and getting an interview.

07. Find details about the hiring manager

This can be done while you’re researching your employer or the company you are applying for. If you couldn’t find the name and the email of the hiring manager, take your time and search for it again. By taking this step, you will be able to know a little bit about the hiring manager and tailor your resume or cv accordingly.

Also, you will be able to have direct contact with your employer by sending your job application to the recruiter. It will be more effective than applying through a job posting, and you will know that your application is received and taken into consideration.

08. Reach out to the current employees

You might have some people you knew or know to work at the company you are applying to. Get in touch with those who worked or working in the department that you’re going to join.

You may not know any of the employees that work in the department you want to join. If that is the case, you can use LinkedIn to find current employees or even old employees. You can always ask about the interview process if you want.

09. Edit your CV/Resume accordingly

Like we said before, having a resume or a CV will come in handy when applying for a job. Since they point out your personal details and skills, it will be more attractive than a traditional job application. When you’re done with the research on the company and the hiring manager, there is one step you need to take.

That is tailoring the Resume or CV you made according to the details you found from your research. It will make the hiring manager see that you understand precisely what needs to be done.

If this is a lot of trouble for you or if you already have a resume and you can’t tailor it for the position you are applying for, you can hire a professional resume writer. You just need to send the details they ask, such as a copy of your resume(if you already got one), the information you collected about the company, and the hiring manager.

10. Make the job easy for the hiring manager

When a company post in few websites, thousands of job seekers are going to answer those job posting and send out their application. Sometimes only one hiring manager goes through all of them.

It’s not that easy as you think. So be sure to label and name the documents you sent out and tailor your resume or CV accordingly to make the job easy for the hiring manager.


As you already may know, hundreds, even thousands of job seekers are going to apply for the job postings you are going to apply. Only a few of those applications are going to get answered. The chance of your application going through without the steps that we have pointed is slim to none.

Be sure to take the time to read these steps and understand why you need to follow them and take action. Then send out all the documents they require. You will be guaranteed your job application is standing out from others and getting an interview.