Career Q&A: Funky, old school job application requirements - comply or fly? - a podcast by Lisa Cummings

This Episode's Question
My question is about a letter of introduction. My wife is applying for a licensed social work position for a school district. The application has a spot for a letter of introduction. This is the first time either of us have come across a requirement like that. So...what is it? Then, should it be written by you or by a third party? And should you submit only one like you do for a cover letter or multiple letters like you do for letters of recommendations? Thanks for your input.

What You'll Learn In The Audio
- Whether to comply with their funky, old school job application requests.

- The origins of these traditions from the 1700's and 1800's. Yup! They're that old school.

- Your safest bet for action when you get any outlier requirement while applying for a new job.

- How you can use this type of requirement as a sign post for the company culture you're about to join.

- Whether recruiters  and hiring managers want you to do cover letters as a separate attachment. Hint: highly-debated-topic alert!

- How to not get yourself excluded for a job because you missed a step that was intended to check your attention to detail.

- A more modern version of this mythical letter of introduction (a referral), and how an email from a 3rd party introducing you to the employer is a great tip for getting in the door and getting noticed.

Tweetable of the Episode
Take notice of job application requirements as a sign of the company culture.

Resource of the Episode
Article: Too funny! You'll get a kick out of this Wikipedia article on Letters of Introduction. Besides the fact that it reinforces the old-school-osity, there's a fun quip in there from Ben Franklin writing one in a sarcastic way.

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Related Episodes to Go Deeper on The Topic
- People who are applying for new roles also wondered whether you should submit a unique resume for each job you apply for.

- They also wanted strategies to keep their resume out of the trash bin and at the top of the pile.

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Website of Lisa Cummings