As anyone who has spent more than an hour searching for a job using modern tools knows searching for employment is unbelievably exhausting. The problem isn’t any better for the employers who have to cull viable candidates out of the cruft that many job search sites allow through the gate.
Sadly too many employers rely on specialized sites that insist you maintain a profile in their proprietary database. While many of these systems provide a resume scanning system that will extract key elements from the document, the process is not without it’s issues. Many of these systems are extremely error prone and your mileage will vary. The worst offender is the US federal government I have spent upwards of 3.5 hours 
completing their online profile system. After doing this a few times I summarily gave up on the federal sector because those jobs are generally very low paying even at the executive level.
I have discussed this issue with many other searchers and you would be surprised how many will opt out of even attempting to apply for a job when they see that they must do so on through Company’s Website in lieu of some place like LinkedIn. It has become such a phenomenon that even TheLadders has stop notifying you in their listing that you will be redirected to an external site to complete the application.
Honestly can you fault people for not wanting to spend 3.5 hours completing a single application when they can breeze through so many more on another site? You can argue that only the best qualified will make it through because they will take the time to complete the application, however; we both know that you are fooling yourself. It is basic human nature like electricity to follow the path of least resistance.
The key to winning in the job search game is not tiger blood but to remain positive!
I honestly believe that both the prospective employers and potential employees are suffering at the hands of the greedy job search and resume crafting service providers. Consider that TheLadders a very popular job search site recently opened their doors to EVERYONE but they are continuing as always to charge the searcher for the ability to use their service. I honestly do not know how much they charge the job poster if anything but if you are on unemployment drawing that fat weekly check of approximately $400 how ever are you going to afford the likes of this service and still pay your mortgage?
There are other issues with TheLadders as far too many of the vague ‘too good to be true’ listings are from confidential companies. Most are scant on any sort of real details and you are left without any means of researching the company, which means you can not tailor your resume to that job as so many experts direct you. It is extremely frustrating to say the least. The worst part is I have heard rumors that they only really care about the membership fees and these type of listings are not even real. Carefully crafted ruse to encourage you to open your wallet.
I know many HR managers just love sites like Taleo-X because it gives them the power to cull many applicant easily based on a standardized database scheme however what makes the job they are paid to do easier does not necessarily improve the quality of the jab applicants themselves. As I have mentioned previously many applicants view such specialized systems as return later if nothing else pops up.
While LinkedIn could improve their listing system a bit, such as adding a follow up system as well as the ability to flag the state of a listing as applied and not just to save the job for later. I must admit given the choice I will take LinkedIn over TheLadders, JobVite, TaleoX and just about any other service out there. Sure they have some really annoying quirks that hopefully will get worked out before they IPO, but for the most part they offer the best of breed solution.
In an effort to allay all of the seemingly negative vibe regarding the modern job search let’s discuss a few positive points. I hope that the follow tips will allow you to better work with those previously feature entities and improve your progress.
Ten Tips to help you complete your job search
- Remain Positive- Your attitude says a lot about you and will shine through everything you do
- STAND- On phone interviews do not sit down because you breath more clearly standing
- SMILE- Yes even on the phone smiling projects a positive attitude
- Get Organized- many job search site fail to email you a link to the job you just applied for so DO IT yourself. I also recommend using a shortening service like bit.ly because you can check it remotely
- Professionalize your Email address– if you don’t have one already get an address that best represents you professionally.
- Email yourself a current copy of your resume in several formats. Thank goodness PDF is becoming more uniform but many still require Word formatted documents. Both Yahoo and Google have document storing features so use them.
- Setup search agents- Sites like TheLadders and LinkedIn offer search agent services can be scheduled to send you listing via email
- Follow- your target companies on LinkedIn, recruiters on TheLadders and hiring managers on Twitter because you never know what may help you during an interview
- Expand your network- You need to wisely expand your social network to better help you search and land that new job
- Letter writing- Polish your letter writing skills because you still need cover, follow up and thank you letters
I hope that you enjoy this tangent from our normal coverage. After being thrust back into the job market again I thought it would be nice to share some of my insights. I also feel that many of the job listing companies could stand for a good kick in the backside and hope to spark some strong user discussion about personal experiences. I also hope that my tips will enable you to land that perfect job you’ve been seeking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mikel King has been a leader in the Information Technology Services field for over 20 years. He is currently the CEO of Olivent Technologies, a professional creative services partnership in NY. Additionally he is currently serving as the Secretary of the BSD Certification group as well as a Senior Editor for the BSD News Network and JAFDIP.
Related articles
- 10 Tweeple To Follow During Your Job Search (businessinsider.com)
- How To Find a Job on LinkedIn (andiamogroupblog.com)
- “Cover Letters – Should You Use Them in Your Job Search?” (thejobhuntergroup.wordpress.com)
- How To Outsource Your Job Search (lifehack.org)
