Most people apply for jobs guessing what the employer wants. The list is shorter and more ordinary than you think, and four of the five items have nothing to do with qualifications.
For entry-level work, employers are mostly trying to answer one question: will this person show up, and can they be trusted with the task?
Qualifications matter for jobs that legally require them. For most other roles, an employer is choosing between people whose CVs look similar, and deciding on reliability, attitude and whether you understood what the job actually is.
Two candidates, same qualifications.
What happens: Nothing in the application shows they read this advert. Employers can tell, and it reads as someone who wants any job rather than this one.
What happens: Each employer sees their own job title and one sentence about why this role. Fewer applications, far more replies.
I have no experience at all. Am I wasting my time?
No. Entry-level jobs exist precisely because employers expect no experience. What they look for instead is evidence you are reliable: school attendance, a volunteer role, helping in a family business, a course you finished. All of those are experience, and most people leave them off their CV entirely.
Does it help to hand in a CV in person?
For retail, hospitality and trades, often yes, especially at quieter times of day. Go alone, be brief, dress as you would for a shift, and ask for the manager by name if you can. For office roles it is usually better to apply the way the advert asks.
Before you move on
- List three things that show you are reliable
- Change two lines of your CV for each job
- Read the advert twice before applying
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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