Do you apply to 5, 10, 15, or maybe event 20 jobs a day through a company website, job board, or some type of recruiting website? Do you track the response you receive from those applications? Do you feel like the internet is just a black hole and hardly anything comes to fruition? Well you are not alone, take a look at the below statistics regarding how new hires are found, published by Richard Kirby Author of the book “Fast Track you Job Search (and Career)”
- Online –5%
- Direct Contact with Company Representative –10%
- Recruiters (placement) –15%
- Networking –70%
Revealing huh? With the new information take a deep breath and start to evaluate how is your time best spent? Five percent is not zero, people do get hired through clicking the apply button. Much like all avenues of life if you go about things with some forethought it drastically increases your odds for success. Below is a list of some helpful thoughts to land a career though an online search.
1: Keep a log
Track what positions and companies you have applied for. Pertinent information is where you applied, date you applied, did you receive a response, did you follow up, is it a closed door?
2: Apply but don’t just apply
Apply, but in addition try and find an email address for the person who receives all the résumé’s in their inbox and send it directly to them as well. Immediately follow up with a phone call to the individual…”Hi ____ my name is John Doe and I wanted to let you know I just emailed over my resume applying for the _____ position on ______ website. I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to hearing from you.”
3: Follow up but don’t be a pest
Be persistent schedule a phone call one week after the initial contact. Introduce your self again and check the status of the opportunity. “Hi, ____ my name is John Doe and if you recall I applied for the ______ position last week. I am very excited about this opportunity and hope the position has not yet been filled, where are you in your process? Would it be possible to schedule an interview while we are both on the phone?”
4: Last chance
Let’s say you have not had any contact, try one more time to reach out with a phone call. If no response mark this opportunity as closed and move on, I propose not leaving a voicemail.
I suggest doing this for every position you apply for online. If more people pursued their next gig with this type of commitment internet recruiting would definitely jump from 5%. Far too many people view applying online as meeting a quota. These same people feel good they applied to 5, 10, 15, or maybe even 20 jobs today and although it is good, it is not great. In order to speed things up you have to increase your odds by standing out, do something different. Don’t just apply and cross your fingers take matters into you own hands.
TN
