How to be a Cow Candidate – Part One: Applying

Outstanding in your field – that’s the definition (see: pun) we use when discussing Cow Candidates. We want to see you rockstar recruits stand out among the slush pile. Here are a few quick and dirty tips that will show you how to win the job interview and get a call back to the next step of our hiring processes.

Before applying: Crafting your resume and cover letter.

1.) Research, research, research. Know our company name, our mission, our purpose, our core values, our CEO’s name. Check out our blog to see what we’ve been up to recently. Take a peek at our various social media accounts; like us, follow us, retweet, etc. Check out our Glassdoor reviews. You need to get an idea of our company before diving in blindly. This will help you not only during the interview, but with your own internal decision processes as well.

2.) Make sure your resume is up-to-date. I’ve seen multiple resumes that hadn’t had any work listed since 2014. Or worse, I’ve had people tell me on phone interviews “Oh, I haven’t worked there in over a year. I’ve actually been doing this other thing for the past nine months.” Resumes are living documents. Make sure they accurately reflect your previous ten years of experience (or up to ten years).

3.) Your resume should be error-free. Likewise, don’t give me a sloppy resume riddled with typos. The first person who reviews every single resume that comes into GetUWired not only has a degree in English, but worked as an editor for five years.

4.) Tailor craft your resume. That doesn’t mean that every time you apply for a job, you need to completely rehash your resume. Just change up your listed accomplishments to more align with the position you’re shooting for. And make sure that if you have an objective, it doesn’t say something about achieving a prominent position in the medical field. Good rule of thumb here? Don’t put objectives on your resume. Most of the time they’re just empty statements that make me roll my eyes. Instead, use your cover letter to state your objective (more on cover letters later).

5.) Your resume should showcase your accomplishments, not duties. While at your previous jobs, what did you accomplish that gave you that special “Epic Win” feeling? If possible, use hard data to back yourself up. Be proud of what you’ve done, even if the work wasn’t your favorite. Remember, our core value of excellence? Take pride and ownership of your work.

• Some examples are:
• “Developed a strategy for my Development team that lead to a 25% reduction in time spent on slicing and QA time.”
• “Implemented new hiring strategy that decreased new employee turnover by 50%”
• “Created an app that does this amazing thing and sold over 1,000 apps in the app store.
• “Significantly decreased time spent building reports by creating various template spreadsheet.”
• “Earned more than 100 five-star reviews in less than three months.”
• “Recognized as Employee of the month for my continued awesomeness in the field of goat-herding.”
• “Won first place at the competitive forklift competition in 2015”
• “Constantly received comments on my smile while working at the counter at a fast food restaurant.”

And so on and so forth.

6.) No more than two pages. Seriously. One-paged resumes are preferred, but it’s understood that sometimes you need a little bit more. If you have a multiple page resume, then we definitely don’t read through the whole thing. Resumes should be clear, concise and only cover the last ten years or so of previous work history.

7.) Indeed created resumes are crap. Sorry guys. The formatting is horrible, and it’s very difficult to see errors on your end before they get submitted to me. They can easily make you look like a fool. If you want to stand out, don’t use the Indeed resume builder. It doesn’t have to be fancy (though, if you’re applying for a Graphic Design position, fancy doesn’t hurt, as long as it’s still easy to read and understand). Keep it simple. Use bullets. Make sure it has your contact information.

8.) Apply through our website the first time. We post our job openings to a bunch of places, but no matter what channel you come through (be it Indeed, facebook, or wherever) you will be directed to apply using our personal application system and get you set up in our pipeline. People who read the instructions on how to apply in the job ad and do this right the first time get bonus points, not to mention they are the first ones to get contacted about interviews.

9.) Write a cover letter.  Cover letters are where you can really show off your passion, eagerness, and knowledge of the company you’re applying for. They should not be a rewrite of your resume, but an enhancement. Are you passionate about Web design, coding, or spreadsheets? Here’s your chance to show that off. Excited by potentially being a part of our next kickass team building event? Tell us here!  Just make sure you get the details right (I’ve had some folks misspell the names of our Leadership while touting their acute attention to detail).

10.) Follow up through Email. This is a personal request when you apply to GetUWired and isn’t a universal request. If you have any follow up questions regarding time lines or if you just want to make sure we got you application, please email April (aloebick@getuwired.com) instead of calling. Calling can be disruptive, as it demands attention right then and now and we may not be able to provide immediate answers (especially when it comes to verification as we may not have our applicant tracking software up and running at the time of the call). Email is far more better when it comes to respecting this recruiter’s time.

Win the job interview and work with us!

Check out the GetUWired website at www.getuwired.com to learn more about the company, or check out our amazing employee reviews at Glassdoor. Know enough already and want to be our next Tribe member? Apply today!