(MCT) Job hunters want to know the most effective way to find a job.
Honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Individual circumstances matter a lot.
But if you want to play the odds, here’s advice based on a survey of human resources executives. The people who actually do the hiring responded to a poll by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. They said:
—Your time is best spent networking.
—Your time is least effectively spent attending job fairs.
Ranked next in effectiveness after networking (making personal contacts) were: —Using social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
—Getting referrals from management recruiting firms.
—Posting resumes on Internet job boards such as .
—Posting resumes directly on employers’ Web sites.
—Cold-calling employers or sending unsolicited resumes.
John Challenger explained the least-effective ranking for job fairs: “They are heavily attended by job seekers and lightly attended by employers. Many of the employers that do attend are seeking very low-level workers, volunteers or unpaid sales representatives/franchisees …
“And, while job seekers do get to interact with a representative of the company at the job fair, it hardly qualifies as networking. The employer representative is rarely a decision maker and simply (is) there to administer and collect applications.” Hiring officials emphasize that all job search tools should be used. There’s great danger in relying solely on Internet application systems. It’s too easy to get lost in the crowd.
“Some human resource executives complain that for every qualified candidate that comes in from the Internet, there are 10 to 20 who do not even come close to being a good fit,” Challenger said.
The flood of unqualified applicants makes it hard for hirers to find the good ones. So that’s where personal contacts can help say, “Look at this one.” By whatever means, a job hunter first has to get noticed … then
sell oneself as the best.
——— ABOUT THE WRITER Diane Stafford is the workplace and careers columnist at The Kansas City Star. Her “Your Job” blog at . includes daily posts about job-related issues of wide interest. Readers may write to her at: Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo.
64108-1413, or by e-mail at dstafford@kcstar.com.
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