Applying For a Job as a Manager

Making an Effective Job Application with a Management Qualification

Jul 31, 2008

Pitfalls undo hard work. Every job application requires employers to receive what they consider to be a serious application - here are three pitfalls to avoid.

Candidates holding an MBA, Professional Diploma in Management or other management qualifications will expect to be able to secure a place on a short list for a job as a manager.

With an MBA award from a prestigious American business school or European premier university, candidates should have advanced skills in making an effective job application. Here are three pitfalls to avoid when applying for a job as manager.

Overlooking Recruitment Instructions

Employers of managers differ in their instructions to job applicants. Candidates should check before submitting their application if poor proofreading, on the company’s part, has lead to inconsistent instructions.

Applications could require: 2 page CV, full CV, standard application form, job role application form or application form and CV, with or without a cover letter plus additional monitoring documents.

Not avoiding the pitfall of hasty reading of the instructions may lead to submitting an incomplete and less serious application.

Applying as an MBA and Not for the Post of Manager

Almost all manager posts will have selection criteria available to applicants. A recently qualified MBA may not make the short list due to little or no concentration on how their skills match the post of manager requirements.

Some candidates can overcook their application. Serious applicants should sell their personal attributes subtly with a focus on how their can achieve what is expected in the advertised manager's roles and responsibilities.

Not Showing Ability for Analytical Thinking

There are two main ways that candidate’s lack of attention to showing analytical thinking in a job application can undermine how serious the applicant is considered by the company people deciding on the shortlist for interview:

Applying for a Job as Manager

In making your application with a management qualification, job candidates may be:

Whether an internal or external candidate, all job applicants need to proof their approach to the recruitment advert and further details to avoid some common pitfalls when applying for a job as a manager.

Academic author Sheila Cameron, in her fourth edition of The MBA Handbook: Study Skills for Postgraduate Management Study [Pearson Education, 2001] writes “I have dealt with hundreds of job applications from managers. A significant number of these applications were rejected almost cursorily on the grounds that the applicant did not appear to be serious enough about the job to take a minimum amount of trouble over the application”.

When applying for a job as manager, candidates with a management qualification need to avoid common pitfalls to deliver an effective job application to the employer that will encourage inclusion on the shortlist.

The copyright of the article Applying For a Job as a Manager in Management Careers is owned by Susan Morris. Permission to republish Applying For a Job as a Manager in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.