In the
past when you moved to a new city and needed to locate a job you found a local paper and searched the want ads. Those days are gone. Many would have you believe that searching for a job in this new era of digital communication is easier, they would be wrong.In fact John Donovan, CRW, CERW tells us that Digital Age has actually made it more difficult and confusing to conduct a job search. Instead of just competing against people in your local market now you have the world being able to view and apply for available positions.
With all of this technology what can a person do to stand out in a crowd of 1000’s?
Use technology to find a way to get noticed. I believe that even though you have a strong resume you need an ally to help you get noticed. Start with contacting people who have prominent jobs in your field via e-mail using the write it well guide. Ask these industry leaders for advice on your resume. They know what managers are looking for in employees and can offer valuable insight.
Also, I say when you have to send a copy of your resume to HR for open p
ositions make sure you also copy to the decision maker. Nine times out of ten HR is there to collect data and put you through a generic screening process. They then forward the resumes they feel meet the job criteria to the decision maker. Example: For a job that is requiring a bachelor’s degree HR will disqualify a resume that shows no degree yet the person could have 20 years of experience and 1 credit short of a bachelor’s degree which will be completed in less than 30 days.Use social media, its bigger than you think, to make contacts who can introduce you to the right person. Online networking is still networking. Locating a person with first hand knowledge about the position is the best way to number one find out more about the position and employer and number two learn if you are qualified.
Finally make sure to follow up, follow up, follow up whether it be electronically, a personal note or a phone call.
This blog stuck out to me, because I am a senior in college who is getting ready to embark on a real job hunt for the first time in my life. None of my previous jobs have required an actual application. The suggestions found in this blog make sense and I am going to try to implement them in my job search. I had never really thought of using social media as a way to help out with the job search, but it makes sense. The more people you know, the more likely you are to get a good recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting a blog like this! Graduation preparation is growing shorter each day and then my job will be to find a job that I can be successful at. With our social media tools today, everyone is connected through someone and that is also what helps. We may know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone who is looking for an employee. People who are searching for employees have ways to find people that are qualified for their positions.
ReplyDeleteI can relate exactly to this post! I made the big move from Valley City, ND to Baton Rouge, LA and thought the job hunt wouldn't be that difficult. Heck the apartment hunt was just as bad. I figured we would find a place and sign the lease and be moving in within the first 3 days of being here...I think it was at least 7-8 days before that happened. Then it was onto the job hunt and my hope was starting to dwindle after the hardships we faced with the apartment hunt. It took almost 1.5 months to find a job! I could not believe this! Of course, we moved when the economy was bad and then school was out so the big universities here had all their students leaving and going home so business had slowed down. The paper is the first thing I went and got to look for a job, then the internet. Just submitting your resume via the internet is not enough. You are just a resume in an inbox of 10's maybe 100's. So following up is the key! My mom says that besides a well written resume, following up is the next important thing to do. Great Post!
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