It is closing onto midnight and your eyes are half closed as you mind-numbingly scroll through the endless list of jobs on your favourite job seeking website. Suddenly something catches your eye! Can it be? IT IS! The perfect position that you’ve been dreaming of! You’re filled with excitement as you gloss over the selection criteria: qualifications- check, experience- check, location- check, availability- check. And then you reach the application details and your heart sinks. Closing date... yesterday. Before you melt into a puddle of disappointment, it’s not the end of the world! The reason why the closing date is there is because the employer will need to start selecting potential candidates at some point and likely have internal processes and systems to adhere to, but they aren’t going to decide who gets the job as soon as the clock ticks over the specific time and date necessarily.
While it is best to get your application in before the specified date it’s important to realise the employer is going to want to hire the candidate who expresses the most interest and enthusiasm with the best job-fit, not whoever waltzes through first. Many human resource managers agree that it’s worth submitting an application even after the deadline. Unless strictly stated that they will not accept applications after the date (e.g. some government departments or large organisations), apply for the job anyway!
Here are some handy tips for applying after the deadline:
Call someone: Definitely get in touch with the contact person or the hiring manager listed on the job ad. Express your genuine interest for the position, and rather than ASK if it’s still okay to send in an application. TELL the person that you are very interested in the role advertised and you would truly appreciate the opportunity to send through an application.
Once you have called ahead, the hiring person is going to be anticipating your application. Send it in as soon as you can. Ensure you thank them for their consideration.
Be honest in the cover letter: They know you’ve applied late, might as well own up to it. Remind the hiring person you’ve already spoken to them; this may even put yourself ahead of other candidates, as it’s much easier to remember a personified applicant over a piece of paper. Tell them that you only discovered the role through a network/colleague past the deadline, or that you were told about the position by a colleague late, or whatever other reason. It is important to be honest and thankful for their time and consideration.
Consider a special delivery: Hand delivering an application may be an effective way to get your foot in the door. Going in person can have many advantages over submitting an application, such as, the opportunity to speak directly to the decision maker, and getting a feel for the organisation you want to work with. And who knows, you might just catch them at a good time and land an on-the-spot interview! Even if they are adamant in keeping to the deadline, you might learn about upcoming job openings. This could give you an advantage over other applicants as you are in a great position to detail your interest right then and there to a potential future employer.
If it’s that particular company or organisation that you love and missed an opportunity with, leave them an application for future openings. They might contact you sooner than you think!
Move on and forward: If you have tried all you can in applying but are still unable to land that dream job, try and view the experience as a positive one. You have made another contact and are now aware of another organisation to keep an eye on and one to keep in contact with. Use this knowledge to research other similar organisations that may have roles like the one you just missed out on.
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