There are proven techniques and activities that can deliver your rsum to the person (or persons) who can offer you the job you seek. Some of those strategies are reviewed in this communications. Follow the simple plan offered here and guide your steps towards getting the best use of your resume. As in most activities related to business and career, a skill central to success is good Organization. Work smart and hard. Keep meticulous records. They will be invaluable to you through your job search. List the date your rsum was sent out, and to whom it was sent. Track the title of the jobs you apply for, include any specific information regarding hiring contacts, such as names or specific email addresses, or any notes. The next step is to review advertised positions that are appropriate to your training, skills and experience. The three main sources of these job postings are newspapers, Internet job boards, and company websites. Garnering opportunities from these three sources will give you a broad perspective on what your job prospects look like. If a job is posted in the paper, on all the major job boards, and on a company website, you can infer that the company is spending some money to fill the job, and they have a certain sense of urgency. On the other hand, if you find a job opening listed only on a company career page, then perhaps they are looking for a very specialized skill set, or would prefer to promote from within. This is the kind of information that it pays to note in your records, as these subtleties help guide your job search activities. As you analyze the job openings, always cross-check information. If you see a job posting that catches your attention, check the website of the company offering the job, see if the job is posted there too. If the job is not listed on the career area of their website, it may have already been filled, or you may find a more appropriate job title you werent expecting to see. You may also be able to find the name, phone number and email address of the person to whom your information should be directed, as contact information does not always appear in a job board listing, but often does on web pages. As often as possible, direct your communications to a specific person, or at least a specific title. If you cannot find a name or title associated with a job posting, call the switchboard operator at the company you seek employment with, request the names and titles of the individuals who handle Human Resources in the department where you wish to work. Verify email or physical addresses too, so you can send your resume to the right person. Although it is generally recommended only to send your rsum once to any given employer, if handled correctly, multiple sends of your rsum can indicate to your employer that you are highly motivated and detail oriented. For example, if a job posting instructs you to submit your rsum by email, then do so. But include a note stating that you will follow up your email submission with a hard copy of your credential to be delivered by standard post. Then, wait twenty-four hours before posting your rsum, to give the company a chance to notify you if they would rather you not send a hard copy. Conversely, if you are instructed to submit a hardcopy rsum by mail, do so, and after two or three days have passed, follow that up with an email containing your rsum and an explanation that this is simply a follow-up to a paper rsum that you submitted by mail, reaffirming your interest in speaking with someone in greater detail about the opening. As before, be sure to keep meticulous notes on the contacts you make out to employers, including dates, information sent, addresses used, etcetera. BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH |
