4 ways sending too many application materials may lose you a job

4 ways sending too many application materials may lose you a job4 ways sending too many application materials may lose you a jobHiring managers welcome a creative cover letter, detailed resume, compelling reference letters and professional follow-up, but is there too much of a good thing? Does too much paperwork or an overload of your application materials send the wrong message? Weve asked HR and job experts about how to make you a stand-out in a good way.Resist using stock cover letters that are too lengthyHiring managers appreciate when applicants send targeted letters rather than stock letters that seem generic. Not only does this reflect your creativity, it can demonstrate your talent. Ive seen too many cover letters where people actually left insert company here or insert position here markers instead of filling in the company, or even worse, listed the wrong organization in their cover letter, says Kris Hughes, senior content absatzwirtschaft manager with ProjectManager.com, w hich provides project management software. Often, these same cover letters were overly wordy and failed to get to the point quickly and succinctly. Recruiters have very limited time to review materials - especially if they are a one-man HR department or work for a large organization where hundreds of resumes are coming in for each opening so getting to the point as quickly as possible should be the rule of thumb, Hughes says.Keep your resume concise and on pointAccording to Mollie Moric, a career advisor and hiring manager at Resume Genius, an online resume-building platform, the purpose of a resume is for candidates to provide the hiring manager with an accurate description of their qualifications. Although this can be done succinctly, many candidates are under the impression that lengthy descriptions might strengthen their applications, Moric says. However, in my experience, overly extensive applications are often an attempt by candidates to compensate for a lack of experience o r necessary skills. She says a resume shouldnt exceed two pages unless youre a candidate with 25+ years of relevant experience. If youre a candidate with less than 10 years of experience, try and limit your resume to one page, adds Moric.Limit references and recommendations to threeMoric says when shes hiring for a popular role, shell often have upwards of one hundred applications to review and therefore, appreciates when candidates keep their applications concise. Including more than three references on an entry to mid-level resume is a waste of valuable resume space and may make me skeptical as to why a candidate thought it was necessary, she says. If youre attaching letters of recommendation to your job application, limit it to a maximum of threeunless the job posting requests additional letters. In general, I advise candidates to lean on the side of caution and only include high-quality recommendations from credible sources, she adds. f letters of recommendation arent requested in the job application, it may hurt a candidates credibility to include low-quality letters, even if alongside a carefully crafted resume.Limit the urge to keep following upAlthough follow-up communication is an important part of a job application process, sending too many emails or making too many phone calls can hurt a candidates application, says Moric. The first instance in which its appropriate for a candidate to send a follow up is an email checking to see if their application has been received one week after the application period has closed, shares Moric. The second is an email in the 24-hour period after their interview, thanking their interviewer and for their time and expressing enthusiasm for the position. The last instance in which its appropriate for a candidate to send a follow-up communication is if they havent received any communication two weeks following their interview, continues Moric. This email should be a brief check-in that reiterates their interest in the p osition and politely prompts the hiring manager for a reply. I would highly suggest that candidates are conservative when it comes to sending any follow up communication other than these or it may hinder their chances of getting the job.