Thinking about getting a job in the Great Outdoors? Don’t make these mistakes.

Over the last 12 months Land & Wave has recruited some amazing people to help us do what we do.

We’re occasionally surprised at how little thought or care people put into their applications.

Sometimes we get things that are just plain silly! These are direct quotes from cover letters we’ve been sent…

• “You’d be stupid not to offer me this job”
• “I don’t really want to work in Dorset but it would be nice to have this as a backup”

Rather than focus on the occasional outlandish statement or sentiment we thought we’d focus on some relatively common mistakes that crop up…

Number One (in no particular order)

Don’t start a letter or email with ‘Hi’. Don’t finish a letter or email with ‘Thanks’.

Emails and letters don’t have to be super formal but be polite and format correspondence appropriately. You’re writing to (hopefully) your future boss not a mate.

Number Two 

Make sure that your CV is a maximum of two pages long. If there’s some subjective information (personal statement) within your CV consider reducing or removing it.

Number Three

Don’t email or call the company you to hope to work for asking, wonderfully vaguely, for ‘more information about the role’. Contact them with specific questions by all means but a one line email or hesitant phone call wont make you appear keen it’ll make you look a little lazy. Get online and learn about the company yourself.

Number Four  

Get online and learn about the company you’re applying to work with. Spend time on this, there’s normally lots of information to be found when you start looking.

Have a good, basic, knowledge of any company you hope to work for before you arrive for an interview.

Number Five 

Know why you want to work for a company before you arrive for an interview. What attracts you to the role? Why are you excited to live and work in the area? How do you think you might develop professionally in the advertised role?

Number Six (and this is a big one)

Facebook (especially). Social Media generally. Everything online.

Make sure that your privacy settings are high before you even considering getting a job. If you can, remove or hide anything you wouldn’t want an employer to see. Most employers will spend a few minutes on google with the information they have about you before they send you an invitation to interview.

Companies will choose not to invite individuals to interview purely based on information about them that has been found online. It doesn’t matter if you think this is unfair, it will happen, do what you can do mitigate any potential problems.

Number Seven 

Work hard. Do good work. References, formal and informal are perhaps the most important contributor to success, or the lack of success, applying for jobs. The Outdoor Industry is a small one, there are lots of personal and professional connections within it.

If you’ve fallen out with a previous employer be honest about it. Lots of companies will approach your previous employer for information whether you’ve put them down as a reference or not.

Number Eight 

Make sure that your correspondence with a potential employer is clear, concise and engaging. Spend some time working on your CV. Make sure that attachments are attached. Ensure that files are bug free, the right size, can be opened and won’t cause your CV to end up in the companies SPAM folder.

Time is really valuable and it’s unlikely that a potential employer will spend ages looking for emails or files you’ve sent. It’s your job to make sure that the information can be received easily.

Make sure that you have digital copies of all your important documents and qualifications. DO NOT expect a potential employer to scan your documents for you!

Number Nine 

Interview well…

• Turn up 10 minutes early
• Dress appropriately
• Be neat and tidy
• Know why you want the job
• Be engaging without going over the top

Number Ten

Want the job. Know why you want the job. Know how the job will help you develop as a professional. Have a plan.

An Extra One (for free) (try it)

Try not to use the word ‘passionate’ in your application, CV or interview.

Good Luck Out There…

Land & Wave is currently recruiting seasonal staff for 2017. We’re based in Dorset, by the beach.

Every year we run a (brilliant) Accelerated Instructor Training course during the winter, it takes 14 weeks and you gain lots of qualifications.