ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2007 > May > 11 > Entry
Job search strategies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many people in the career services arena will quote statistics boasting that the most popular method of finding a job is networking. Often I have heard it quoted that between 70-85% of the job seekers find their job through someone they know. That would indicate that networking is the most productive activity in a job search.
Although I agree with the fact that you must actively network while you are job hunting, I know the internet has also become an instrumental tool in any search. Just like browsing the classified ads in the Sunday paper used to be ritual for every professional contemplating a job change, I think you need to browse the internet for jobs every day if you aren’t totally satisfied with your job.
According to a study by Conference Board in November of 2006, jobseekers reported that the internet was the method that produced the most job offers, outperforming other job search strategies such as networking, newspaper, and other sources including employment agencies. It’s true that because there are so many people applying to any single job posting you aren’t likely to hear from all the companies or recruiting firms that you present your resume to over the internet.
However, you will not get a 100% response rate from any job search method. That is why serious jobseekers actively utilize each one of these job search methods. If you are going to use the internet as a job search tool, make sure your resume is well designed, states your credentials in a meaningful way, and targets the jobs you are pursuing with ‘key words.’ If you pursue a job that you are not qualified to succeed in, you will likely get no response and the rejection becomes discouraging.
As a recruiter, I receive countless resumes from jobseekers that have no background in the areas we are requesting as essential to that job and wonder why they wasted their time. For instance, recently we advertised for a highly technical position and I received resumes from people whose experience included everything from a real estate agent to a part-time Santa Claus. It is not that being those things are negatives, it is that their resumes didn’t highlight the aspects of their credentials that were most relevant to my posting.
You have to structure a resume that captures the most relevant portion of your background in the first half of the first page of your resume, or it will likely get dismissed without further consideration. If a real estate background or part-time Santa Claus role doesn’t relate to the job opportunity, it is either best to eliminate it or de-emphasize it at the end of the resume. If you include unrelated things at the top of your resume, your resume is likely to go to the bottom of the pile. Be strategic in your resume preparation, and be persistent about surfing the net for the right job.
Together, these two strategies can land you a perfect new job. If you need to learn more about writing a better resume, attend an Execume seminar on May 17, 2007. For more information go to http://www.execume.com/_events/default.php
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