How to use coffee, soup and ice cream to make your job application a winner!

Think of some advertisements you’ve seen. Why do you remember some, but forget others completely? We have a selective filter that makes us prick our ears up if something we are interested in comes to our attention.

Also, we remember specific information, rather than general information. This is called the Marketing Law of Specificity. If we want the employer to notice our application, we need to be really specific about our achievements. Instead of saying: ‘I completed the project on time and within budget’, you could make this information really stick with the employer by stating: ‘I successfully completed the project a month ahead of schedule and shaved 27% off budgeted costs’.

Now, here’s another weird thing – we remember odd numbers more easily than even numbers. For example, 29 widgets are more memorable than 28 widgets. Why? No one knows…

Think of Nescafe, Heinz and Baskin Robbins. What do they all have in common? No – the answer isn’t lunch. These organisations have made a fortune by knowing how to make their products memorable.

How many beans are in every cup? … 43

How many varieties of soup are there? … 57

How many flavours of ice cream are there?...31

Don’t fight it! Odd numbers work!

So, how do you apply this to your application?

When you state your achievements, be specific! Instead of saying: ‘I achieved all set sales targets for the organisation’, say: ‘I achieved a 23% increase in sales due to training my staff in customer service and implementing new systems for receiving customer feedback’.

Here’s another example. Instead of saying: ‘ I improved efficiency in the organisation’, change it to: ‘I increased efficiency by 33% through training staff in customer service and developing new Customer Performance Standards.’

Doesn’t that sound more believable? Put yourself in the employer’s shoes and think about what would impress you. Then sit down and write your application, keeping in mind the Law of Specificity and Odd Numbers.

This information is included in the Selection Criteria Toolkit that is being called ‘The answer to a jobseeker’s prayer’.

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