You can make your unique skills and talents stand out.

More and more employers use the online application process to help them find the right candidate for the job. So it’s likely that you will have to apply online for some job openings that interest you.

Like many students, you may be worried that an online application makes you “one of a million” instead of “one in a million,” and that your particular skills and unique talents will get lost when you click “send” and your application gets swallowed up by cyberspace. That doesn’t have to be the case: In fact, employers say there are lots of things you can do to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. In a recent survey, employers offered the following advice for how to make an electronic application outstanding:

• Follow directions. Be careful to enter the correct data in the correct field.
• Ask for advice on completing the application from a company recruiter or an alumnus who may work at the company.
• Tailor your application information to the position. Do not copy and paste text from your generic résumé.
• Use key words, buzz words and industry verbiage. Use the verbiage in the job ad as your model. Employers search on key words when they are looking for people to fill specific positions.
• Create a skills-inventory section if the application does not require it. You might put this in a “comments” section.
• You should also include remarks in the “comments” section that demonstrate that you have researched the company and industry.
• Include numbers and statistics if they are available. (Example: Counted five cash drawers daily; responsible for more than $10,000 per 8-hour shift.)
• Complete all fields—even those that are not required.
• If the company offers an optional assessment test online, take it.
• In some cases, you may be asked to attach your résumé to or paste it into the application. Make sure your résumé can hold its own in a very simple format: Fancy bullets, text, italics and bold do not convert well in an electronic application. (Many employers scan paper résumés into their applicant systems. As a result, even if you are not required to apply online, there is a good chance that your information will end up in the same place as if you had, so keeping your résumé format simple is good advice regardless of whether or not you are applying online.)
• If possible, spell check and grammar check your application before submitting it. Have an error-free application because this application serves as the employer’s first impression of you.
• Include a strong objective. Ask a career counselor to help you word your objective.
• Follow-up your electronic application with a personal e-mail to the recruiter. A follow-up phone call is acceptable if the job posting or ad does not say, “No phone calls.”

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