New Years Resolution - New Job? Step 1. Get online .....
For my blog research this week, I have been reading articles about online recruitment and the success of Job Boards in Australia. Interesting to note, that with the ever-increasing use of this form of advertising by Companies, recent surveys indicate that candidates are frustrated as a "User" of Job Boards because of the lack of sufficient details in the Ads, for them to make an informed decision.
As an in-house recruiter for a large mining company in my previous life, I have to say, I have been guilty of posting Job Ads online that would have caused you to make a quick "Click and Flick!" decision about applying. Job Boards are great for looking for the job title of the role that you want to apply for, but with the limitations in the information that can be provided to you, this is only Step 1. So what's next.....
- Step 2 - Research - Once you have the Job Title and Company Name, do all the research you can and if everything aligns with what you are looking for and then make reference to this in any correspondence you send with your application.
- Step 3 - Referrals - Use your networks - friends, family, previous colleagues - if there is someone you know, already working for the Company, get a referral, this is still one of the preferred methods of sourcing candidates for a lot of companies. That's why they pay incentives to their employees for this.
- Step 4 - Resume - Work on your resume, with some positions attracting such large numbers of applicants; it is most often used to screen you out, not in.
As a Job Seeker, the Recruiter is assessing the way you communicate and behave in the "application process" - it is an indication of what you might be like as an employee. Making a decision to apply for a job requires more time and effort than scrolling through job boards and hitting the "Apply Now" button. If you take a more considered approach, an informed decision can increase your chances of both getting the job and being happy in the job.