| Topic Name: |
Resume Submittal Options |
| Message Name: |
keep this in mind |
| Date Posted: |
05/17/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
I am of the suspicion that submitting resumes online is an inferior and possibly even a counterproductive way to conduct job applications.
Everyone who I know and have asked tells me they have never even heard back from a company after submitting resumes online. And I know a lot of college classmates who were ignored when they applied online for jobs, yet readily obtained much better positions elsewhere after applying in other ways that necessitated them finding and interacting with a real human.
It seems like the best way to apply for a job, if you find it posted on the internet, is to print it out, figure out where the office is, and then barge in with the job printout in hand and say you'd like to fill out an application. Look enthusiastic and have a portfolio under your arm.
You see, sending a resume online is so easy for anyone to do, and now there are these "resume zapper" services that mass mail resumes to thousands of companies. I suspect that in the majority of cases, companies don't bother to read them at best, and at worst, use online submittals to screen out lazy or unmotivated people who can't show up in person. Or maybe it's a rats-in-a-maze type of scenario where you are presented with the pre-employment test of digging up human resources department contact info (which is almost never publicly available anymore except for e-mail addresses IF YOU'RE LUCKY). First one to find an actual phone number gets the job!
What do you all think about this? Also, I would like to hear from just one individual who decided to apply at a company and then submitted an impersonal online form and got any sort of response (other than an instant auto-response), even if it was a NO. |
| Message: |
When a need arises, employers are often under pressure to fill this need as efficiently as possible. On-line resume submission is a good way for them to receive a huge response in a small time frame. The large number of applicants combined with the fact that the recruiter has tons of other things on his/her plate besides recruiting for the position you happen to be replying to make it difficult for a recruiter to personally reply to every applicant who posts.
Websites like Jobtrak are great becaust they are a convenient way for job-hunters to find new openings each day. However, the price we pay for that convenience lies in the fact that everyone else at school/work is seeing the same postings and replying as well.
I found the following strategies to be helpful when using the internet in my job search:
1) Time is of the essence. If you are serious about a job, reply to the opening the day it is posted! By the time a posting is a week old, it's probably too late and the position/available interviews will have been filled.
2) If the job posting includes a phone number, call the recruiter to establish contact before you zap your resume. Even if it is only to ask if submissionns are still being accepted for the position, it shows the recruiter that you don't want to waste your (or the recruiter's) time, and it helps to get your name out and to give the recruiter a voice to go with that resume.
3) Be confident and persistent about following up. As I said, once recruiters fill this position, they have tons of other things to do and probably won't call everyone they weren't able to interview personally. That doesn't mean you should forfeit your right to a firm response. Who knows, maybe the recruiter will recall your resume and might know of other positions opening in a different department. Keep your head up and don't get discouraged. Career counselors say all the time that failing to secure an interview isn't necessarily a negative reflection of your credentials. That might sound like a bunch of Mary Sunshine hogwash, but in the world of on-line resume submissions, it's often the truth. Good luck!
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