You Found the Perfect Job Online. Don't Click Apply!
A good friend of mine recently sent me an online posting for a position he is very qualified for: a Web Producer position at a well-known organization. My friend is a fantastic writer, has his own blog and has experience managing all of the web content for a premier Web site. He is perfect for this role.
As soon as he sent me the posting I texted him: "I know the Web Content & Social Media Manager for (company)."
He replied: "Think I should meet her? Looks like my kind of job."
I saw him last night and told him that if he applied online, his resume would probably get looked at because he does have great, relevant experience. But why do what 99% of other job seekers do, when you can stand out?
I encouraged him to let me facilitate an introduction for an informational conversation. That way he could do a ton of research on the company, prepare good questions and determine if the company and position is a good fit for him. This approach gives my friend a lot more power!
What are your observations and lessons learned from applying to job postings?
Great Post Brian - I'm a senior PR major at Ohio U and have spent the past 2 quarters applying for many jobs. The best lesson I've learned throughout my job hunt is that an online description of a job is tailored to sound as appealing as possible - same with a companies site and total web presence. Every job sounds like a dream job, however, not every job is the right fit for me. It's not until I make the personal connection or have that first meet and greet that I can decide whether this place is where I want to kick off my career.
Great blog, Brian. Posting online to jobs completely unsolicited will probably not be a high-yielding investment of one's time.
However, more and more employers are requiring some form of online application. Parlaying an online application with a follow-up email, or a personal introduction from your network may move things along more quickly
Rich, great point. Many companies do require an online application for tracking purposes. But, if you network into an organization and meet the right people, that will be a formality!
Aaron, you are wise beyond your years. Having an informational interview with a company is like "taking a test drive." You get to kick the tires and find out if it is the right car... err company for you.
Brian,
Great blog! Completely agree with your sentiments. Networking is so much more important in today's world.. having the right credentials is definitely great and backing that up by strong networking will take the job seeker the extra way
The title of your piece is a bit misleading....of COURSE if you have an inside connection you should take that route. Not all people have that however.
Thank you for reading and for your comment. The title wasn't meant to be misleading, but your comment is a reminder that I should a) clarify my point and b) write a blog about how to make connections at a company where you don't know anyone.
I have not had any connections at most of the companies I have interviewed with. I created them. If you want to work at Google and you don't know anyone there, there are several avenues you can pursue to find people, reach out to them and schedule informational interviews. I will go into greater detail in a future post.
Thanks again for reading! Brian