You and Your Potential Job: A Perfect Fit?

Before writing a letter of application or going to an interview, you should do some thorough documentation work, gathering all the information you can find about the company advertising the job. That way, you’ll be able to better relate your skills and expectations to the position you are applying for. This will result in a better structured and more persuasive argumentation. Are we forgetting something?

Getting to Know Yourself

Simply becoming familiar with the company is often not enough. Since you intend to convince the interviewer or the reader of your cover letter regarding your professional and personal qualities, you need to have a clear picture of these qualities yourself.

This may sound absurd. After all, you’ve known yourself all your life; it’s not like you’re just becoming acquainted with yourself. True, but have you ever assessed yourself in terms of the extent to which you can be an asset to the company? This is something each of us should do from time to time. As persons and professionals, we change (ideally, that should mean we improve); a periodical reevaluation is therefore justified and even necessary, and it will definitely enable you to market yourself properly.

Think of new qualifications you have acquired since the last time you assessed yourself in this way, of new trainings and courses you have attended, and their role in your professional development. Think of how you may have changed your personal goals and expectations since your last employment. Your set of credentials and expectations should form the basis of a persuasive argumentation.

Are You the Best Person for the Job?

Employers have become aware that they want more from their staff than just professional abilities. Consequently, in addition to testing people’s skills before hiring them, they will also probe the likelihood that the position they offer will match the potential employee’s personality, as that is likely to increase the latter’s efficiency and productivity and make the company a more pleasant workplace for everyone.

Your compatibility with the job will obviously be assessed during the job interview, but it can also be evident to the person reading your application. Since first impressions count, it is very important that you should be able to convince the reader of the value you can add to the company. Your professional skills can only come from studies and experience, so there isn’t anything you can change about that before applying. You can, however, work on the impression you make. The person reading your cover letter you should be certain that you have very strong reasons for wanting the position you are applying for.

Obviously, you will need to be able to show, point by point, why you are the ideal candidate for the job. What that actually means is that you should gather all the information you can find about the company and the position advertised, so that you can select those aspects you want to give prominence to. If you can prove that you are interested in that particular job and not simply looking for employment, your chances to be hired will grow significantly.

Be sure to read the information on the company’s website, so that you can demonstrate familiarity with the line of business they are in. Pay equal attention to the informational content on the website as to the form. You may want to prepare your written or oral argumentation differently if the theme colors on the web page are green and pink than if they are black and dark blue. If you have any printed material issued by the company, you should read that too. No information should be overlooked. If you spend a sufficient amount of time studying the company, it will be very easy for you to "get into the atmosphere" and persuade people that you share their vision and you’ll be able to blend in perfectly.

By clearly defining your position -- not just to your potential employer, but also to yourself --, you can become more confident in your success. And confidence is always a good thing.