If you are like so many of my clients, you begin your job search with a great zeal and a boundless enthusiasm. You probably found a handful of jobs PERFECT for you on the internet. So you put together your resume and a cover letter for each job, meticulously sending out each electronic application one-by-one. Then what happened? Did you wait and wait only to hear nothing back?
I call this the “what’s wrong with my resume” syndrome. When an intelligent and well meaning job searcher begins to look for a new position using the internet, only to experience these results, it quickly leads to frustration, disillusionment and despair.
Providing you know your resume is focused properly and sells your skills well for the industry and position you are targeting – if the above story describes you, take heart! Here is the information you need to boost your online job activity and MORE:
Did you know over 80% of jobs are filled before they ever have to be advertised? It’s true. And by the time they are advertised several other things happen:
- There is a whole lot of competition for that position
- The company most likely will be swamped with resumes if they advertise on a job board
- The job posting will most likely be handled by staff in Human Resources vs., a decision maker
- The job process itself will probably be long and mechanical process of screening out candidates down to a final three
Doesn’t sound like al to of fun does it? Using job boards as your main method for trying to land interviews is the method that brings with it the most amount of perceived rejection from the sheer lack of response. The BEST thing you can do to increase your interviews is to integrate multiple job search strategies including working with recruiters, following up on corporate growth opportunities, networking and contacting companies directly.
To improve your online job search experience first you want to find a good job aggregator or Meta-search engine (like www.indeed.com) and use that as your primary job search vehicle. This way you won’t have to spend hours bouncing from one job board to the next.
Next, set up an email job alert on your job aggregator – so that the job descriptions that fit you will be set to come to your e mail inbox each day. You will be able to measure the time just this one tip will save you – in hours!
Finally in addition to your email agent, the next two places worthwhile to check out online are company websites and niche job boards. Use discernment as you choose one or two niche boards to keep tabs on. Often times, companies will advertise on their site to attempt to fill their open positions well before they will pay a job board to advertise the positions for them.
Understanding the sometimes harsh realities of using the internet to search for jobs will empower you will a healthy objectivity as you move forward towards your goals. These powerful tips are easy changes you can make that will quickly improve your results.
