Getting your player ready...
Hiring authorities have spoken and they agree; networking is the most valuable tool in the job seeker’s arsenal. One of the least effective processes for finding a job for the current environment: attending
job fairs. The second most effective job-search tool available is a relatively new one: Social/professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, job fairs, particularly during a down economy, prove not entirely effective job-search method. 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 who would have to be prodigious sellers to make a living wage. 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 there to administer and collect applications. Internet job boards are heavily used as a job search method. While the Internet has the potential to be very useful for job seekers, it has become the primary tool for many, when it should be considered secondary to the traditional technique of networking and meeting prospective employers in person. It is important to remember that the job search is a multifaceted process. Those who rely on just one tool, even if it is networking, will take longer to find a position. The problem with the ease and accessibility of the Internet is that many job seekers make it their primary job search tool. Overuse of the Internet also threatens to prolong the hiring process on the employer’s end, as well, by inundating employers with irrelevant resumes. 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. The more irrelevant resumes that hiring managers have to wade through in order to select the handful to bring in for interviews, the longer it takes to fill the position. One result of this has been the increased use of digital screening software that scans incoming resumes for keywords.
Resumés without the right words are filtered out of the process. This will make it even more difficult for job seekers to get their resumé in front of the hiring executive.
The Internet has revolutionized job searching, making it easier for someone in San Francisco, for example, to search for job openings in Miami.
In addition, the ability to conduct keyword searches has reduced the amount of time it takes to target the type of position a person is seeking.
This is why it is crucial that job seekers learn how to use all of the tools at their disposal, including networking, the Internet, newspapers, job fairs and, yes, even cold-calling employers in some cases.
job fairs. The second most effective job-search tool available is a relatively new one: Social/professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, job fairs, particularly during a down economy, prove not entirely effective job-search method. 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 who would have to be prodigious sellers to make a living wage. 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 there to administer and collect applications. Internet job boards are heavily used as a job search method. While the Internet has the potential to be very useful for job seekers, it has become the primary tool for many, when it should be considered secondary to the traditional technique of networking and meeting prospective employers in person. It is important to remember that the job search is a multifaceted process. Those who rely on just one tool, even if it is networking, will take longer to find a position. The problem with the ease and accessibility of the Internet is that many job seekers make it their primary job search tool. Overuse of the Internet also threatens to prolong the hiring process on the employer’s end, as well, by inundating employers with irrelevant resumes. 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. The more irrelevant resumes that hiring managers have to wade through in order to select the handful to bring in for interviews, the longer it takes to fill the position. One result of this has been the increased use of digital screening software that scans incoming resumes for keywords.
In addition, the ability to conduct keyword searches has reduced the amount of time it takes to target the type of position a person is seeking.
This is why it is crucial that job seekers learn how to use all of the tools at their disposal, including networking, the Internet, newspapers, job fairs and, yes, even cold-calling employers in some cases.
