Others will let you add things like how much you want to travel, from none to road warrior and more. Look each job over closely and decide if you are a good fit. Feel free to contact the company with any questions that you may have. Most employers that we have talked to prefer emails as opposed to phone calls and the email that you send them is important. It has now become your first impression on them.
Contacting an employer by email
If you decide to contact a company that has posted an online job opportunity that you are interested in, keep these points in mind:
1. Keep it brief. It is usually safe to assume that a company contact person is hearing from dozens and maybe even hundreds of potential applicants with a whole bunch of questions about a particular job. If you send a long email just to ask a few questions, the first impression that you have just left is that you are already a pain in the butt.
2. Ask questions that are relevant. I have done a lot of hiring over the years and it always amazed me when I would get an email from someone asking if their bachelors degree that they are hoping to receive in 1 1/2 years would be sufficient for a job now when the requirement clearly stated that a bachelors degree was required for any applicant to even apply and be considered. Another thing that always amazed me was an applicant (and this happened twice in all my years, but it still happened) would send an email stating that he or she felt that the two weeks vacation per year to start was not sufficient and wanting to know if we would offer them 4 weeks. One even wanted eight because they taught school and wanted to enjoy their summers off. Read the job description and if doesn't tell you something, then by all means, make contact and ask. Just remember that this email may be waiting for you the day you go to interview, if you get an interview at all.
3. Be polite and professional. Thank the contact person for their time and effort and ask questions in a professional way. To send an email like this will get you no where:
"Yeah, my name is __________ and i was jus wondarin if this job offered free medicl and stuff four my family to or would it be jus for me cause i need healthcar for my children cause they keep getting sick all of the time and i cant take them to the doctor cauz i cant afford it now. right me back cause i needto no before i apply caus you got a long applcasion." No joke. Just wait until you get to the interview page and see some of the great job applicants we have crossed paths with over the years. Needless to say, this email sender didn't get a job and while I certainly sympathize with the applicant, any employer will try to take an applicant that they believe will help them, quite frankly, get the job done.
The online questionnaire
If there is an online questionnaire for the job, think the question through, answer in detail and be honest. If there is a spellchecker, use it or if it is possible to leave the page and go to a word program to type in your answers and edit them, do so. Just a note to all of you that are thinking "what good are the online questionnaires when they have no clue who is really answering them?" Simply put, when we used online questionnaires it was so we could use them in interviews to help us find out how honest a person was, as well as how professional and thoughtful they were. It may also help you get an interview depending on your response. A typical question would be "when did you ever have to change something or some way that you were doing a job to better the outcome?" Imagine asking a interviewee to elaborate on the answer and having them look across the desk and say..."huh?" My point here is simple, fill out the questionnaire yourself and be honest. Get caught in one lie and you are done as a potential job winner. In this case, the truth will truly set you free.