How to lose work and alienate people
by James
I posted the following job advert on Gumtree recently:
Website Design firm looking for freelance photographers to work with.
You’ll need to be a digital photographer with a creative eye and a strong sense of your own style. Ideally you’ll have an online portfolio or a collection or work that you can send us. It doesn’t matter if you’re an amateur or a professional: what matters is your work.
== How To Apply
Download an application form using this link:
http://sevenoakdesign.co.uk/d/af/photographers.pdf
Print off the application, fill it in and send it to us at the address provided.
[extra info...]
I’d say that about 20% of the applicants have ignored the ‘How To Apply’ section and just emailed me directly. Most direct emails say something like, “I’d like to apply” — to which I reply, great: please read the advert properly and you’ll find out how.
When I’m choosing freelancers to work with, it’s a safe bet that I’m not looking for people who are too much of a rush to read a few paragraphs of a job spec. So, a tip: if you want to look good when applying for a job, read the ad first — all of it!
That’s very true. It’s good to know, that some employers will stand their ground on the correct application process!
I appreciate the adherence to the printed guidelines, as I expect the same, but requiring a mailed paper application in the year 2009? That would turn me off if I were a potential applicant.
That’s not been a problem here, I’ve had loads of applications.
Any serious job applicant has to be prepared to bend to the employer’s way of doing things a little — Email isn’t always the most practical way of doing something, even if it is usually very convenient.