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Looking for a New Job? Use Old-Fashioned Skills
October 03, 2008
With the economy going south quickly, out of necessity, lots of people are quickly polishing their résumés and beginning the search for a new job. Many job seekers turn to the on-line job search sights. No doubt about it, they are worth exploring. Don’t forget, however, the importance of physically getting in front of a prospective boss in order to truly seal the deal.
In “Job Hunting Is, and Isn’t, What It Used to Be” (New York Times, 09/27/2008, page C7), writer Alina Tugend emphasizes that when looking for a new job, surfing online career sites cannot replace old-fashioned face time. Too many job search web sites are an “indiscriminate morass,” Tugend writes. The number of applicants competing for any one job is likely to be huge.
Tugend does not dismiss the on-line search sites outright. In fact, she offers solid advice regarding how to get the most out of them. Hint: To enhance the likelihood that your résumé is reviewed, before submitting it, make sure you incorporate language that is also used in the job posting. She further notes the advantages that various social networking sites, for example, LinkedIn and Facebook.com may present to the job seeker. Just be certain, she warns, that anything and everything you have posted on a social networking site is something any new employer would feel 100 percent comfortable seeing.
In the meantime, job seekers should do everything they can to get face-to-face with prospective employers. Explore career fairs, professional association gatherings, and alumni events. Establishing a personal relationship may yet yield a professional relationship.
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