Applying for roles via job boards

Having worked as a recruiter, outplacement consultant and career adviser for around 18 years I had the opportunity to help build a junior miner’s team which was ramping up for production. My job was to recruit 57 positions. As I had been providing career advice and job search coaching, I was interested in comparing various methods of job searching techniques inside a mining company. Last week I reviewed the success of applicants that focused on their professional networks to help them. This week I compare their results with those applicants that only used job boards. The results will surprise you.

Importance of job boards

Although professional networks, referrals, and introductions are important for job search success, job boards still have an important role to play. This is particularly the case when the job market is tight i.e. when we have a candidate short market. At other times when the job market is weak and there are few jobs to apply to there may be literally thousands of applicants applying to the more popular positions. Job boards will always be an important recruitment strategy, so I would not recommend abandoning job boards just yet. However, you should balance your job search strategies. I will cover effective job search strategies to use in a weak job market next week.

Applying for a job via a job board

After learning of a position with a company you may feel that you are the most suitable candidate for the role. If fact you may be the best candidate for the role, in which case you had better make sure your application matches your job skills – because recruiters are not mind readers. Put yourself into their shoes. While we are on that topic, – what is it like in their shoes? Recruiters often have hundreds if not thousands of candidates to review each week. When they are screening candidates they will not have time to read through your resume thoroughly. In fact if statistics are correct, they will spend on average 6 – 30 seconds per resume. Needles to say, a recruiter will not have time to try and interpret your resume. Make their job easier and;•   Make sure your application covers every area that is requested in the job advertisement •   Layout is clear with clear heading•   Grammar and spelling is correctAlso – whilst the hiring manager may know what you mean – they are often not the first person to see your application. In any case, most hiring managers that I have met are fussier than you might think about poorly presented resumes or applications. If you don’t read the job description carefully or put the effort into your response it is sending a clear message about attitude.

Next week

Next week – I will explain how competition affects the job market and how to go about researching your target market.