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Job search can be very time consuming (and can take a long time to land a job). Using job search sites should certainly be one resource that you use when job hunting, but not your only resource. Opportunities you see on job search boards may already have been filed or (most likely) has had hundreds of applications submitted (if the opportunity is more than a week old). Many (if not all) of the opportunities you see on job search boards are also available on the hiring company’s career site.
There are so many job search resources available to you. Some are crowded, some are empty, some are worth your time but using multiple resources is the best advice.
Tweet ThisThere are so many job search resources available to you. Some are crowded, some are empty, some are worth your time but using multiple resources is the best advice. That being said, if you are out of work, time is of the essence and lack of a regular paycheck can sometimes feel like someone has a gun to your head.
If you are like most people, it’s sometimes difficult to focus and often times easy to get distracted and head down a long dark passage. You need to balance your job search across all resources available to you (The Four Legs of Job Search). One often overlooked resource is company career sites.
Read on for some reasons why you should leverage company career sites.
The Jobs Posted on Company career Sites are Real Opportunities
All jobs posted on company career sites are “real” jobs (as compared to some opportunities on job search sites where some of the jobs are either already filled or are there to lure you in). You can spend your time looking at true opportunities and know you are not wasting your time when you apply for the job.
Companies Hire from career Sites First
Most companies will post jobs on their career site for a period of time before they open them to recruiters. They do this to save on recruiting fees but are also interested in people who seek out their company by posting their resume or applying for jobs. Most company sites allow you to post your resume and to sign up for job alerts.
Cut to the Chase
With company career sites, your first call will be from an internal career specialist, not an external Recruiter. So, you’ve actually skipped a few steps (getting a Recruiter to notice you and then getting the Recruiter to convince a company to interview you). And, if you pass the internal Recruiter screening, you are headed right to an interview with the hiring manager.
Photo by Norbert Levajsics on Unsplash
Pick the Perfect Employer
Do you have that “dream company” or “dream career”? Now is the time to focus on realizing your dreams by targeting specific companies. Use your list or preferred employers (and if you don’t have one, create one) and then start to target your dream companies. To get started, research the companies that specialize in your career and then target their websites by posting your resume and adding a targeted cover letter.
“Network, Network, Network – the most important three words in job linkedin and other social networks. But more importantly, it’s not only who you know, but also who knows you. Successfully leveraging your social networks in job search requires that you focus on those individuals who know first hand about you and what you’ve accomplished in your career.” – Your Job Search Marketing Toolkit – Networking
Leverage Your Network
While you don’t want to burden everyone in your network with helping you find a job, you can ask those in your network that you don’t know as well to submit your resume internally at their company. It is a step shy of referring you for a specific job, but it does get your resume in the door and it will get more attention than a resume that is emailed or posted. Best of all, it is an easy task to ask and does generally not put your friends/acquaintances on the spot.
