Thanks to companies like GradTouch, the way employers advertise their jobs is changing.
Employers are starting to adapt their hiring strategies to match your ambitions and what they believe you want to know about them before you commit to their opportunity. The conversation is changing and for the first time, the pressure isn’t solely on you to impress.
Last year, three-fifths of employers in the Top 100 were focussed on approaching the next hiring year with an emphasis on improving the students’ perceptions of their organisations. It is not a coincidence that three-fifths also confirmed that they were planning to increase their use of social media.
So what does this mean? There is a new landscape for graduates and employers. Job adverts are no longer restricted to faceless websites where opportunities seem both distant and mysterious. We are operating in a new hyper-personal climate and if employers are taking on a new approach, you will need to match them.
Here is how to write the perfect cover letter after watching a video job description, like those you see on GradTouch.com.
1. Address the person in the video.
There should be no need for you to start your application with “to whom it may concern”. By placing the hiring manager at the top of the page, you are introduced to a company through an individual instead of the brand. Learn their name, hear what they believe makes a stand-out application and let them know that you’ve heard what they have to say and are interested.
2. Say what you like about the role.
A video job description will tell you much more about a job role than a list of bullet points. Listen carefully and don't be afraid to quote the video in your cover letter, this will not only show how interested you are in the role, but also how much time you've given to the employer's media (which they invest a lot in). Videos on GradTouch go one further and feature graduates who work at the company; name these graduates, talk about how inspired you are by their story and how you hope to emulate their success.
3. Compliment the culture.
You may not realise it, but companies invest a lot of time, money and effort into maintaining a positive environment for their team to work in. So why not flatter them about it? Employers realise that offering someone a salary and a job title isn’t enough anymore, they need to make their opportunity an experience that eases an individual’s work/life dichotomy. If a company takes their employees to Las Vegas once a year, say how much you like America, if they have an in-house barista, tell them that you like your flat white with two sugars. You shouldn’t be reluctant to discuss things outside of the role, the environment you work in is as important as the job itself.
4. Tell them about your story.
One thing a video job description tells you is that the company cares about who they employ - they've invested in video for a reason: to attract the perfect candidates. You have a degree in a specific course, from a unique university full of your own, individual experiences. Retelling this to an employer is crucial because if you can talk passionately about what you have done and why, then you can transfer that enthusiasm to their opportunity. You may not realise it, but a company is made up of graduates with their own inspiring stories. Check them out and see whether your journey can follow theirs.
5. Bring up their future, and merge it with your own.
We’ve covered the job, the culture and the graduates that help make the company what it is. What you need to do next is combine your story with the company’s. Every company has a product or a service, but they also have a set of principles that help guide everyone regardless of whether they work in Sales, Marketing or Tech. Hearing directly from a leader within a company helps you discover the values and ambitions of a company and allows you to match them with your own aspirations.
Companies are making more of an effort than ever to make their opportunity the right one for you. Your role now is to tell them that they are on the right track. Praise their culture, highlight the successful nurturing of their graduates and say how motivated you are by the direction the company is moving toward.
They know that you are raw talent, it is their job to provide you with your “five-year plan” and it’s your job to show them your enthusiasm to get there with them.