Consider this, if everybody was tall then nobody would be tall. That is to say the definition of a tall person is always relative to the height of others. Say for example that Bill was 6"5’ and the average height was 5"11’ then Bill would be considered tall. However if the average person happened to be 6"11’ then Bill, standing at only 6"5’, would be considered short.

IT courses have developed outstanding curriculum in the last two decades in order to better prepare their Graduates for jobs in this IT industry. But since many IT graduates attend similar courses employers are faced with many similar skills sets and job applications. They simply find it hard to see who is ‘tall’.

Comparing grades and grade point averages is one way to distinguish the ‘tall’ IT graduates from the average. Although this is a common method, it is flawed with sweeping generalizations because the method does not isolate the content specific to the offered job.

Say for example that an IT graduate has excelled in C# programming but struggled in other subjects such as Project Management. If this graduate applies for a job programming in C# he may well miss the short listing based on a quick appraisal of his overall performance. Given a natural inclination towards programming, excellent results in the subject and his enthusiasm for the C# language this graduate could be an excellent match for the position but his application will most likely pass largely unnoticed because other graduates with higher grade point averages will appear, on the surface, to be better prepared.

Another common way of distinguishing ‘tall’ job applicants from average ones is by the quality of the cover letter and resume. Quality, however, is a subjective term. In my opinion, flowery language is not appropriate in an IT job application. Others may really rate this type of language. It is so true that one mans junk is another mans treasure.

Ultimately, job application exerts do generally agree that each application should address key criteria in the job advertisement. There are very specific criteria in applications and the onus is on the job applicant to demonstrate their capacity to meet that criteria.

Working smarter on job applications means tailoring an application in its entirety to the advertised job. This entails understanding the actual job, not just the criteria in the job, and how it fits in with the organizations core business. Experienced IT experts use this type of response in their job applications. But there is no reason why an IT graduate cannot use the same approach. The best graduates are not defined by their high grades, but by their understanding of how their areas of strength fit in with the IT industry and the business world in general.