Your Guide to Impressing Employers with Perfect Job Application Tasks
If you’re reading this then you’ve probably just received a job application task – congratulations! Tasks are only given to the top 10 – 20% of applicants so you’re doing great.
But the last thing you want to do is make a mistake and fall at this super important hurdle.
If you want to get a job it’s vital that you know how to ace job application tasks, impress employers and stand out from the crowd.
1 – Read Every Word
Contrary to what you might think, employers usually aren’t trying to trick you with job application tasks. They just want to see if all of those adjectives you put on your CV are true!
So firstly I would really recommend that you read everything you can. This means the task invitation message and all about the details of what you have to do.
These words will include specific instructions, guidance for if you get stuck and how to format your response. You really don’t want to miss a crucial line and fail the task just because you got too excited to properly read it!
2 – Double Check the Deadline
Tasks give you the opportunity to shine, but they also give you the chance to crash and burn.
The last things you need is to forget or ignore the deadline. Sending in your task late is the quickest way to get booted from the shortlist!
So please double-check the deadline and be honest about whether you have the time to complete it. It’s always better to ask for an extension than to say nothing.
3 – Ask Questions
As I’ve said, most employers don’t want to trick you with the task. So if you find anything confusing or have any questions please ask them! I promise you won’t lose any points.
But saying that, remember to use Google too. Definitions and basic concepts can be found on Google – asking questions about the basics can sometimes be embarrassing!
4 – Follow the Instructions
Good job application tasks will come with a list of clear instructions – please follow them.
Whether they’re about formatting, resources to use or details about the task, know that they’re the most important thing on the page.
No one wants to work with someone that can’t take a hint or follow basic instructions, so try to stick to them.
5 – Get Creative
If an employer sends out 20 job application tasks, things are going to get boring for them really quickly. The last thing you want to do is make a forgetful task that looks like everyone else’s – you want to ace it!
So get creative! Here are my favourite ways to stand out to employers:
- Use the company colours, font and logo where you can
- If you’re making something creative like a presentation, add lots of images and be careful about overcrowding a slide
- Explain your answers in interesting ways. Use charts, anecdotes, voice notes or videos of you explaining your answers!
6 – Add Detail
Employers usually aren’t looking for one word answers. They want detail – and lots of it.
My advice to you is to over-explain. Too much detail is loads better than not enough.
7 – Make it Easy to Follow
Spend some extra time adding headings, bullet points and generally working on the format of your task.
When we read something that’s hard to follow and a little confusing, we don’t enjoy ourselves. And you want the employer to love looking at your task!
A great reading or watching experience from the employer will only work in your favour.
8 – Submit it Properly
Why can’t you just send in a Word doc and call it a day? Why can’t you just send your answers back in an email and be done with it?
Because being the only person that can’t follow instructions and put in the extra effort is not a good thing.
So please don’t fall at the last hurdle!
Here’s a tip for you: if the task has no instructions about how to upload it, convert it into a pdf file.
Word Documents tend to jumble when you share them out, meaning that your hard work could get covered by a graph or image that’s gone rogue on the page.
When you convert files into pdf’s, they stay squared and organised while looking professional.
I hope that these tips help you ace all of your upcoming job application tasks and score your dream job.
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