I’m using CharityVillage as part of my job search and was curious if there is a “best time” to apply for an ad. I see some that are a few weeks old and they are probably a waste of time to apply to, even though they look like a really good fit for me – is there a best time to apply? Also, if I don’t have enough time, do I absolutely need to include a cover letter?

These are both great questions. Let’s start by stepping back and analyzing what it is you are doing when you are submitting your application.

It’s showtime!

Submitting an application for a job posted on Charityvillage, or anywhere for that matter, means that you are making a formal sales presentation to a potential buyer of your services. This is a situation in which the “medium is the message”. That is, anything, good or bad, about your application says something about you as a candidate.

So what is your message?

That is why we tell Catalyst Careers clients to focus on detail – to ensure that their message is “I am professional”, and/or “I understand office protocol and conventions”, and/or “I care enough about this position/organization to invest some time on it”, rather than the message sent by candidates who have spelling mistakes in their presentation materials (their resume and cover letter) such as: “I am not very detail-oriented”, or “I rush through things without checking”, or “I don’t know how to use a spellchecker”. The list is only confined by the imagination of the hiring manager. In the mind of the hiring manager, he or she assumes that if the candidate cannot do a good job on their resume and cover letter, what are the odds that they will do a good job on similar duties if they were an employee?

Deadlines or lifelines?

Usually, when a position opening is publicized, about 80% of the applications arrive in the first 2 or 3 days. There may be a bump after the first weekend as busy people find the time to create their cover letter and resume. Hiring managers are usually busy people too, with many other priorities. So in order to be efficient, the hiring manager will likely schedule time soon after this rush to go through that big stack and come up with candidates she would like to interview.

There are some career counsellors who feel that you should apply as soon as possible to an ad so that you are part of that initial big group, while others feel that you should wait until that big pile passes through, so that your candidacy stands out more from that initial crowd. The truth is that to try to strategize one way or the other is futile, since the best timing depends on a lot of factors that are out of your control.

For example, if urgency in hiring is important, it may be better to be part of that big group, because the hiring manager may not even review any others that come in after a certain point. If other priorities divert the attention of the hiring manager, the job search could be delayed, and your fresh resume coming in much later than the others could get you ahead of the pack.

The best strategy is…

The best strategy is to always apply for advertised positions as quickly as possible, while keeping one important caveat in mind: NEVER sacrifice quality for speed. In other words, it is much better to spend a little more time on your presentation materials (cover letter and resume) and have it arrive a little later, than to rush it over quickly without expending the effort to make it the best you can. If a deadline is stated in the ad, try your best to respect it. Sometimes, particularly in the not-for-profit world, there are regulated deadlines for applications that cannot be adjusted.

If in doubt, always send it in ASAP. What have you got to lose?

Cover letter purpose and parsley

The purpose of a cover letter is to highlight your candidacy and entice the reader to move on to your resume. It also sends the message that you can write a general business letter, care enough about the position and organization to invest extra time, and many other positive things.

The short answer to your second question is very easy: you simply MUST write as good a cover letter as you can, even if you must sacrifice a little time to do so. Unless you would rather lower the chance that you get the job, that is.

Good luck!

Michael Mayne, M.B.A., CMA, is Managing Partner and a Certified Professional Career Counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a Career Transition, Counselling, and Outplacement firm. Michael has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for many years, and is Past President and Treasurer of ALS Canada. To contact Michael, visit: www.catalystcareers.com.

To submit a question for a future column, please e-mail it to careercoach@charityvillage.com. No identifying information will appear in this column.

Disclaimer: Advice and recommendations are based on limited information provided and should be used as a guideline only. Neither the author nor CharityVillage.com make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability for accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in whole or in part within this article.