What It Really Takes for a Successful Application

Stepstone surveyed more than 160 recruiters and 700 candidates in Austria about what they particularly pay attention to in applications. The surprising result: The expectations often differ significantly - leading to many applications failing or not even being submitted: Every second applicant has already refrained from applying because too many or too elaborate documents were required. Lena Ludwig, career expert at Stepstone, explains five typical misunderstandings and clarifies what really matters.

Only a quarter of all recruiters consider cover letters essential

The cover letter is still considered a mandatory component by many. In reality, however, it is only required by just over half of the companies (51 percent) - and only 26 percent of recruiters consider it crucial. Nevertheless, many applicants invest a lot of time or even abandon an application if a cover letter is required (15 percent). A cover letter is useful when it is explicitly requested - ideally short, specific, and related to the position.

More is not always more: Qualifications are more important than school certificates

The demand for a "complete application" often causes uncertainty - because what exactly that means is often vague. Many applicants submit everything as a precaution: school and work certificates, language certificates, awards, recommendation letters. However, the information that proves one's own skills is what really counts: For 64 percent of recruiters, qualifications and skills are the decisive criterion. The resume is almost always (96 percent) required. References, on the other hand, are considered more supplementary - 63 percent find them helpful, but only 18 percent consider them truly decisive.

Prefer error-free spelling over elaborate design

Many applicants design their documents elaborately - with design elements, icons, or colors. However, for the majority of recruiters, this is not decisive: only 22 percent rate the layout as crucial. More important are a clear structure and linguistic correctness - 42 percent cite error-free spelling as a decisive criterion. A clear, well-structured application, in which skills and experiences are clearly identifiable, often makes a better impression than a graphically sophisticated one.

Big Names in the Resume Make Little Difference

Stations with well-known employers impress less than assumed. Only 15 percent of recruiters consider them crucial, 29 percent even consider them unimportant. Communication (53 percent) and the fit for the position (64 percent) carry significantly more weight. Those who describe concrete successes and verifiable experiences generally convince more than a prominent name in the resume.

Application Videos: Too Much Effort - for Both Sides

Application videos are occasionally visible - in practice, they hardly play a role. Only 1 percent of companies actually request them. At the same time, 21 percent of job seekers state that they have abandoned an application when a video was required. For most positions, application videos are therefore neither necessary nor helpful - they should only be used where explicitly expected or where it fits the industry.

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.