Using the Internet Effectively for Job Hunting
December 7th, 2009A modern job hunting campaign is by nature pretty complex. While the net has offered a variety of new job sites, networking sites, etc., it also creates increased competition for prime jobs and potential hurdles for job hunters.
Job searches need to be thought of as a highly individualized, highly targeted marketing and selling process where you are the product. Your resume is an ad. Your extended network is your lead generating engine.
So where does the Internet fit in? At AACareers, we recently placed a job on Craigslist and got over 500 applications in a workweek. For one opening. That’s unreal competition.
Had the right person contacted us ahead of our posting that job, they could have secured the job prior to getting all that competition. How? By knowing a person at our organization who became aware of the job prior to posting. Everyone was aware of the job for at least 10 days before it was posted. Who in your extended network might know of a job that’s coming available soon?
So the good news is that job websites give you a sense of who is hiring, and for what kinds of jobs. But once those jobs are posted, the rivalry is profound. You can still compete, if you have a well honed 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 issues to be aware of is how easily you can be checked on the internet. As we Googled several candidates, we ran into some pictures and comments that were in questionable taste. Nothing larcenous, but enough to sway our thinking about who to hire.
AA-Careers provides a comprehensive 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!
