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If you are just struggling for words or simply have no time, you can also have your application written.
Numerous agencies take on this work and either write the cover letter or the complete application.
Some even send them afterwards on extra good paper.
The prices are usually graded according to how much professional experience someone has.
They are lower for students, trainees and young professionals than for experienced workers.
A cover letter for young professionals costs around 70 euros, a complete application around 130 euros.
Managers pay more: they can have an application drawn up for around 240 euros.
Often the writers estimate four days for this, and some also offer a 24-hour service.
The agencies see themselves as helpers, their arguments have something for themselves.
Writing an application is difficult and takes time.
Many applicants lack one or both.
Writing about yourself is even more difficult than writing other texts.
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In addition, there are the numerous standards of application that you have to know and observe.
If you're a very good engineer but a bad writer, it would be a shame not to be invited to an interview because of it.
You have to ask yourself, however, whether you can represent it yourself.
It is not for nothing that some agencies promise discretion on their website or assure that the contact will remain confidential.
Because there are a few things that speak against it: With professional help you can present yourself better than you are.
But if the application is the first work sample, as application coach Jürgen Hesse says, it is easy to give the wrong impression with the externally written application.
This is how you recognize a good ghostwriter
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"I find it difficult because it could result in the loss of the personal message and thus the authenticity," says Jana Reineke, Head of Personnel Marketing at the coffee roaster Melitta.
This is annoying not only for the company, but also for you, if you get the job but then cannot meet the expectations of the boss.
Anyone who lets people write also robs themselves of the opportunity to think for themselves what they can and want.
Applying is a process that writing helps to make it clear: Do I really want the position?
Why?
And why am I the right one?
You should be able to answer these questions for yourself before the hiring manager asks them in the interview.
Experienced hiring managers also know what to expect from their professionals.
You will recognize the capable engineer even if he is not writing brilliantly.
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If you decide to have your application written anyway, you should pay attention to a few points.
Don't be blinded by quotas: The fact that nine out of ten customers were invited to interview tends to say nothing about the agency's success.
Money-back guarantees are better if you are not satisfied.
You can also ask any agency whether someone is familiar with their own industry and what qualifications the writer actually has - both are seldom on the website.
Some agencies say they have contacts in companies or even seek advice from HR managers.
Admitting outside help in the job interview
The terms and conditions should state how the agency handles data protection.
After all, you are providing her with very personal information.
Employers must delete or return them if they do not hire the applicant.
Agencies should do that too.
They also have to make sure that nobody has access to them.
Quality is also measured by the contact: do you just have to upload your résumé and job advertisement and then receive a cover letter?
Or do the employees get in touch, ask about motivation and motivation and try to assess the applicant personally?
It is also good if you have old applications sent to you in order to set the tone.
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The more you give yourself, the better your application can be.
In the best case, it works like this: the applicant tells what is important to him and the professional writes it down.
This can help him to get an outside view of himself and his abilities.
The career advisor Maja Skueblla, who works together with clients to work out applications, reports that some applicants, for example, only certify that they have a good command of English, although they actually speak English fluently, or that they only have a basic knowledge of Excel, although they could brush it up quickly.
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You should get the texts in a format that you can still edit.
Good providers factor in at least one improvement round in which they discuss and change what the customer does not like.
The professional writers often advertise that they are not using empty phrases, but rather write as individually as possible - but this is difficult to check because you can only see your own application. If you get it, you should therefore ask critically: Does that suit me? Or could this also mean my colleague who worked on the same projects?
You shouldn't hire anyone on short notice, otherwise you won't have the time for the improvement round or to read through the application documents.
But both are important.
“You have to be related to your documents,” says Skubella.
“Read everything carefully,” she advises her customers.
If you are then asked in the interview whether you wrote the application yourself, you can say: "I got support, but these are my arguments."
Read more articles from our guide series on the subject of application letters here:
Everything about the application letter
This article was first published in May 2019.