Every day I hear from people who tell me that they have sent out dozens of resumes & are not getting calls. Some of these people have very good resumes so what’s the problem here?The problem is simply that the job boards have a 3-5% effectiveness rate & although it is very exciting to see a position that matches your skills, having job boards as the heart of your search strategy can lead to a lot of frustration. Let’s look at how positions come to appear on job boards.You’ve seen this yourself in your own organization. A position is open & announced to all employees where they can post for it themselves or refer someone they know to be considered. If this referred candidate is hired, they will usually receive a bonus (& who in this market doesn’t know someone to recommend for a job)? So by the time the job is advertised on the job boards, they are already interviewing people who have been referred to them by trusted sources. And you are now competing with hundreds of other people who have also applied for the job. That’s why you often hear that a position was filled internally or by an employee referral.
So what should you do to get the maximum benefit from job board postings? There are 2 key tricks here & in both, you DO NOT SEND YOUR RESUME over the internet. First, go to LinkedIn.com & search for the company. You will see the people who work there and their respective titles, so find the folks that manage or work in your desired area.Now the most effective approach is to see if you can get into that magic circle of people who have been recommended by insiders. You do this by asking yourself “Who do I know who might know someone who works there?”. Do this by simply reaching out to your contacts & say, “I am interested in a position at XYZ. Do you know anyone there who can share some insights about the company?”.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4620909
