Career counsellors warn that the whole mini-universe of online job boards — Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, etc. — is a great place to mis-invest your time and hope during a difficult job hunt. Employment guidebook author Margaret Riley Dikel calls it a “black hole,” and Ford Myers, President of Career Potentials, agrees.
“Very, very few online applications are ever read or responded to,” Myers says. “Good jobs don’t get posted in the first place.”
With unemployment high and the average Joe staring at the horizon for six months before the job boat lands, career counsellors say they’re not surprised to see so many people surfing online want ads more than they should.
If you’re among those unlucky masses, don’t expect fantastic finds: Studies show 10 per cent or less of jobs are filled through online ads.
But if the occasional online ad is one small part of your search strategy, you might as well do it right.
Start by composing a list of companies where you’d aim to work. About.com jobseeker’s expert Alison Doyle recommends doing a LinkedIn company search by industry and location.
“Check the company website and see if you can apply directly there,” she offers.
“It is absolutely imperative to customize the cover letter,” Dikel warns. A little resumé tweaking — like bumping up the most relevant, if not recent job — can make the difference between the yes stack and the no can.
