Please don't assume that their closing date is your closing date! I'm sure you have seen the closing deadline on job adverts. Some are very specific such as 10 am Monday [date]; others slightly vague, 22 December; then we have "open-ended" and then the most frustrating - "Early applications are welcome: we reserve the right to make an offer before the closing date". So what does all this mean to the job seeker? If the advert is time specific that's great but what timeline are they working in? In the UK, it's normally is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) but if it's a European agency they are working CET (Central European Time) and in the USA they could be working on PST (Pacific Standard Time) or EST (Eastern Standard Time). So you need to check and make sure your application hits their deadline.
NOTE: UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) / GMT is the basis for all local times worldwide. What if the agency has just included a date? Simple, call them and get a time! Yes, I said call them... don't email. I once spoke to a client who was applying for a job that only included a date, I told her to call the agency and get clarity on the closing time. She called me and told me that they had filled the position already. This is something I have heard so many times, but she was shocked, having spent hours on her application (for no reason). Which leads me to "open-ended" and "we reserve the right to make an offer before the closing date". 'Open-ended' tends to appear with smaller agencies that need specific skills on an on-going basis. One example is doctors. The agency has a need but it finds it difficult to find suitable candidates who can commit for long-term placements and they will often say open-ended ie recurring recruitment. 'Make an offer before the closing date', in my head means we are desperate to find someone ASAP and will recruit the first relevant applicant; I have seen this with large and small NGOs. Don't be complacent, the international development sector is complex and if an organisation has advertised it means they have a problem - we need X skill as soon as possible for this role. Don't think - 'I have 2 weeks to make my application'. Internet Connection And then, of course, you have left it to the last minute to submit your application and then you find your internet connection isn't working... bummer and deadline missed! The bottom line? Get your application in first.
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Kevin CusackEveryday I read articles and blogs about careers, personal development, marketing, IT, and scrutinise hundreds of jobs. Archives
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