Knowing WordPress these days is an awesome asset if you’re looking for a full-time or part-time job. WordPress is growing at an incredible rate and there is high demand for WordPress professionals.

Here are some popular WordPress-related job positions:

• WordPress Developer
• WordPress Designer
• Site Administrator
• Copywriter

For a business hiring is one of the toughest things to do, because it is indeed very difficult to go through all the applicants for a position and find the perfect fit.

In this post I’d like to share some tips for those applying for WordPress jobs. I’ve reviewed hundreds of applications and sadly many of them disqualify themselves right from the get go. They’re a complete waste of time for both the recruiter and the applicant.

So if you are really serious about getting a job in the WordPress ecosystem, keep reading as I present the 5 rules you should keep in mind every time you apply for a WordPress job.

Rule no. 1 – Read the Job Description

I can’t stress enough how important this is. Know what job you’re applying for. Things to look out for:

• Is this a remote job or not?
• Is working in a specific time zone a requirement?
• Do you have the skills the job requires?

Rule no. 2 – Get to Know the Employer

If you really want to get the job, you must go further than merely reading the job description. Read up on the company advertising the position. Know them well and consider whether you’d be a good fit for their culture and way of work. Here’s what you should know:

• What are the products/services of this company?
• What is the company’s standing in the WordPress community?
• What is the employer’s location and timezone?

Rule no. 3 – Follow the Application Instructions

Tying back to rule no.1, make sure you know exactly how the employer wants you to apply for the job. Is it by sending an email or by filling out a form? And are they asking for any references or examples of past work from you? Did they ask for your hourly rate? Make sure you answer all their questions. Keep in mind that yours will be one of tens, hundreds or thousands of applications. If you miss out on any piece of information, the recruiter will most probably just eliminate you and not ask again for that missing data.

Many job applications ask you to include a personal anecdote (this is usually towards the end of the job description) like stating what your favourite colour is. This is a tactic used by employers to quickly know which applicants actually read the job description and which others simply sent out a standard mass email to every employer advertising a job.

If I’m looking for a WordPress developer I usually require that they send me links to their GitHub repository or give me code samples so I can easily understand what level they’re at. Amazingly, many applicants ignore this completely. They haven’t read the application instructions. One second after their email reaches my inbox, it gets deleted. Very simple.

Rule no. 4 – Present yourself in a Professional Manner

This is your chance to make the best impression with your prospective employer. Make sure your CV and cover letter/email are written in impeccable English (or other language required in the application). Do a spellcheck before you send your application. Incredibly many applications we receive contain a number of mispelled words, bad punctuation and extra spacing. That suggests that the applicant is lazy or doesn’t care enough about this job. Therefore that kind of application ends up in the trash bin.

If you’re applying for a WordPress job, make sure you write WordPress in the way it should be written, with a capital W and a capital P. One recent application I received from a person advertising himself as a top WordPress developer had WordPress spelled in four different ways in the same emails, and none of them correct (word-press, Word press, wordpress, word pres). Hilarious but also very sad.

If you’re attaching a CV, make sure it is updated and well formatted. Attaching it in PDF format is recommended so the recruiter can easily print it out.

Rule no. 5 – Write a Cover Letter and Make it Personal

Keep in mind that your prospective employer will most probably receive a number of good applications and he will be finding it hard to choose between them. They might have all the skills required, have previous experience and fulfilled all the job requirements. How do you increase your chances of elevating yourself from the rest? This is the time to get personal.

Without sounding like a douchebag, make sure you highlight why you believe you’d be a great fit for this job. If you are a fan of the company’s products or services, make sure you say so. It’s even better if you have used those products/services or you’re still using them.

Your aim here is to make the recuriter feel like you’re already ‘one of them’. You know their products and services, you already have experience in similar jobs and you are comfortable working the way they do (especially important for remote work-from-home jobs). Include your motivations too, that is very important for a prospective employer. Do you want a new challenge? Do you love their company culture? The recruiter wants to not only make sure that you have the right skills but also the right motivations and that your passions align with those of the company.

Ensuring that your personality shines through will make a big impression on the person at the other end. In various occasions some applicants did not have the strongest skills for the job I was advertising, but their cover letter was so good that I ended up hiring them anyway for other jobs. I liked them and wanted to work with them. That is your main goal here.

In Conclusion

Keeping those five rules in mind will drastically improve your chances of landing a great WordPress job. So do your homework well before applying, take your time and impress your prospective employer. Good luck!