Finding a Job Using the Net to Succeed
A modern job search campaign is by nature very involved. While the net has offered a variety of new channels, it also creates increased competition for choice jobs and possible challenges for job hunters.
Job hunting needs to be thought of as a highly personal, highly aimed marketing process where you are the product. Your resume is an advertisement. Your extended network is your inside source for information and job leads.
So where does the net fit in? At AA-Careers, we recently posted a job on a popular job site and got more than 650 responses in a calendar week. For one opening. That’s increased competition for job openings.
Had a great candidiate called us before we ran the ad, they could have gotten the position before running in to all that competition. How? By finding someone at our company who became aware of the job prior to posting. Everyone knew about of the job for at least 11 days before it was posted. Who in your network might know of a job that’s coming available soon?
Be sure to check your application matierials carefully! When we did an analysis of the 650 resumes, we found a large number of errors. 63% of the applicants were easily taken out with a speedy triage process. How? The same way any employer would. By passing over resumes where the objective didn’t match our job posting. By eliminating candidates whose cover letters gave us reasons not to hire them, like "I know I’m overqualified but I really need a job". By eliminating prospects whose documents that didn’t open properly. And by rejecting candidates who didn’t trouble to spell check their cover letter and/or resume.
So the good news is that job sites give you a feel of who is hiring, and for what kinds of positions. But once those jobs are posted, the competition is intense. You can still compete, if you have a well thought out resume, designed to appeal directly and clearly to the recruiter. And if you have practiced interviewing – so you don’t stumble at a critical point.
Another thing to be aware of is how easily you can be checked on on the net. As we Googled several job hunters, we ran into some personal web pages that were in questionable taste. Nothing larcenous, but enough to sway our thinking about who to hire.
AA-Careers provides a extensive set of services for Bay Area job seekers, providing our clients a personal career consultant, a managed job hunting campaign, modern tools like a personal website, video, highly targeted resume, and much more. Let us know if we can help you.
Be careful out there, and good hunting!
