I will start with saying I am no expert in recruitment, HR or People Ops... in fact i didn't really know the difference this time last year.
However, after advertising a role recently and going through a ton of applications and phone screens, I have some really really basic advice from my perspective for those on the hunt. Again, this may not be what's "industry guidance" - so take the advice as a grain of salt...
WHEN APPLYING:
Add your LinkedIn URL to your resume. Some recruiting software sucks and even though there was a place to add your URL in a form somewhere - it may not work. The worst thing is to have to figure which "Saba Karim" you are out of the list of 10-15.
Remove irrelevant job experience. Length doesn't matter, as I'm reviewing applications I'm looking to ensure all you've done, however little, feels relevant.
Read the job description.
Show that you've read the job description by modifying you resume or cover letter to customize even just ONE thing.
You don't really need a cover letter unless if your resume shows that different experience to the job you're applying for. Then, it's useful to help me understand why this transition.
Don't apply for every job at said company. We can see, and it's a huge red flag when you apply to work in a part-time marketing role, AND also a full-time legal role.
PHONE INTERVIEW:
If you’re reached out to, don’t share your Calendly link for the interviewer to book time with you.
If not using a tool like Calendly, confirm the timezone you’re in, incase you’re somewhere other than what was on your application.
Share your mobile phone number if you aren’t asked to share it, in case of any hiccups. For a 15-minute phone screen, 7-minutes of tech issues on anyones end means less time for you.
Eagerness is great, but don’t cut the other person off. ever. Be patient and let them finish a sentence or the whole question before you start speaking.
Don’t try and drive the discussion. You may be interviewing at 5-10 places and have a lot of questions, but the interviewer is likely speaking to 2-3x more people than you.
Send a damn follow up email. This is one thing I’ve been taught since I was 17. How are people still not doing this? ‘Thanks for your time, I look forward to hearing from you” is all it takes.
Be patient. Interview processes and approvals take a while. Don’t make assumptions and email things like “So I didn’t get the job huh?”. That’s an easy way to show lack of professionalism.
Last but not least, be understanding of others differences. Whether it’s a stutter, slow typer, or inability to share video due to many reasons since we’re all working from home - don’t make assumptions that could feel like an accusation or attack on the other person.
Good luck!