I had a great question and post idea from a twitter follower the other day:

@emst Emma “@DorothyJS Do you have Do’s and Don’ts for applying to more than one job at same company? Thanks!”

When you find a job you think you are qualified for and with a company you want to work with then apply! apply! apply! You should think of each application, even if its for the same company, as separate entities because that is what they are. The real trick is with the application process and writing your cover letter.

Application Process

Most companies don’t care how many jobs you apply for but hope you are at least qualified for them. I have never heard or seen online application forms that state or limit the number of roles you can apply to but if you find one that does then you should follow there rules. If you don’t see a limit then again apply! apply! apply!

Some online job application forms can be tricky to use as well. You need to read the instructions throughly before uploading your cover letter and resume. Some specifically state that you can apply and upload your resume for each job one at a time. If that’s the case then create a new cover letter for each job and upload your resume for each role. Creating a cover letter for each job you are interested in is the ideal scenario. If there is no limit to how many roles you can apply to but it only allows you to upload one cover letter and one resume then you need to create a covet letter that address’s all the roles.

As a recruiter for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, I saw many candidates apply for more than one role. Most people just wanted to work for the organizing committee. They weren’t to concerned on what job they got, they just really wanted to work for the games and that’s ok.

Cover letter

What really annoys me and most recruiters is getting a cover letter that is addressed to the wrong role or recruiter. What candidates need to understand is that online applications and profiles can be accessed and read by different recruiters and managers. For example, you usually need to create a profile and fill out an online application form when applying for one role with a company. Your profile and application is then sent to the recruiter encharge of filling that role. So if you chose to apply to more than one role then your profile and application goes directly to more then one recruiter.

When I see an application that is addressed to a different role or recruiter, I automatically think that my role was not the candidates number one choice. My reaction is to move on and consider another candidate. The answer to this problem is to create a cover letter that addresses all the jobs that you are interested in and applying to but making a point that you are interested in working with the company than the job you get.

Here is an example of a cover letter that I would use when applying to two jobs for one company, which in this case is for NASA. Recruiting for NASA would be awesome because outer space is cool, both literally and figuratively.

Sample Cover Letter

Dear recruiters/managers name at NASA:

Your HR department has advertised two job openings for which my experience directly qualifies me: recruiter and HR generalist. While I do not have experience directly recruiting for the Aerospace industry I do have extensive recruitment experience in the following: areas:

• Accounting / Finance / Audit
• Consulting, Business and Strategic planning
• Hospitals / Healthcare / Medical
• Information Technology & Systems

In my 8 years of HR experience I have been exposed to various working environments each with unique challenges that I had to over come. Some of the areas that I have expertise in include; benefits and compensation, labour relations, recruitment, HR management and some payroll.

I would enjoy an opportunity to talk with you or someone in your organization to see where my skill set would be of the greatest benefit to your company.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Rawlinson

Bidding War

Do you think if you apply for 2, 3, or even 6 jobs for one company at the same time that the best case scenario would be that each manager will want you and a bidding war will start? Well don’t worry because that won’t happen. To discourage managers fighting for the same candidate recruiters usually have to wait for each job to close and for each recruiter to finish the selection process before moving forward with the same candidate.

Summary: Do’s and Don’ts

DO: Create separate cover letters addressing the correct recruiter and role for each job you are applying to

DON’T over complicate things. Apply to every job you are interested in even if it happens to be 4 roles at the same company

DO: Read and fill out online job applications carefully. Remember many managers and different recruiters have access to it

DO: If you can only upload one cover letter for multiple applications then make sure you state all roles that you are interested in that one cover letter

DO: Remember to stress how much you want to work for the company

DON’T forget to use keywords from the job description, which should highlight your qualifications for each role

DON’T keep secrets. During the interview be open and tell the recruiter that you have applied and are interested in multiple roles.

At the End of the Day

Being interviewed by different recruiters for one company can be an advantage. One recruiter may think you’re nothing special but another might think you’re perfect and would work well with a manager or team that they are recruiting for. Remember befriending a recruiter can land you on top of the resume pile and that much closer to a job offer.

Photo by: cloud13

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