I am sorry, but I cannot get the hang of applying somewhere where I am not certain and sincere about wanting to work there. And guess what, you also see it in the cover letter. This means, when applying somewhere just to see if you still got your applicant mojo and wanna see how big of a market value yours is, you waste at least 3 peoples time! The HR, the teamleader and your own.
Having applicants who actually don't want to switch but need a reinstatement of his own ego honestly dissapoints me. It means 3 minutes of reading and screening as well as 5 minutes of turning that person down - and yes I take my time to turn someone down. I make it a personal thing. Cause, well, rejections are always taken personal. And if not written sincere and with a constructive feedback they certainly are taken personal the wrong way. Hell, all these employer judging pages like kununu and co. prove it.
And even those take a certain time to be replied to properly.
So, in my Cee-Lo voice: "get your shit together and be sincere, man"!
Also, I find it important to not only state why you think you would fit perfectly to that position advertized. But also where you want to go and what makes you being so special that you can deal with the tasks offered. And don't forget, debug all errors in your resume! Us HR wanna see if your (honest) profile mmatches the tasks which are vacant to be fulfilled.
Personally, I consider a job a task I can reflect myself in, strengthen my own strengths even more and which can bring me where I want to go. Just don't say stuff like you want to be the next CEO of the company you apply at. Quite frankly, you can expect a rejection within the next three days if lucky.
Be sincere about yourself and you might find the place you wanna stay at for quite a longer time.
Aloha
