Why do so many people post their resumes on the Internet when the rate of success is actually LOWER than finding a job with classified advertising in a local newspaper?
Actually, according to the ever-popular book, "What Color is Your Parachute?" the success rate for sending out your resume randomly to employers (and getting a job offer) is actually higher than securing the position of your choice through an electronic resource. The rate is somewhat higher for IT-related positions.
So, why do so many people spend their time, effort and money on a tool that offers so little reward? Well, it is a novelty. People can zip a resume into the job abyss and dream of someone finding it. Also, it is unbelievably easy. Click, click, click and you have posted your resume to a job board. A few more clicks and a couple of dollars and you can have your resume "blasted" to employers who might match your job-search criteria.
Unfortunately, this process does not always work well. Sometimes it doesn't even work at all. For the 4 - 5% of folks who DO find their jobs online, life is good.
The best approach to finding a job is to keep all of your options open. Do not rely on one source. Read the classified ads, scour the internet, network your socks off and go to job fairs. Oh, read the newspaper's business section, check out the yellow pages and/or read local magazines and find out which companies in your local area offer jobs like the one you want and ask them if they are hiring for the position you are seeking. Ask them. Don't send them a resume. Ask them. Call them. Visit them in person. It works.
How well does it work? Hmmmmmm. It works better than all of the others combined.
The problem with contacting individual organizations is that many people have a fear of being rejected. As if that isn't bad enough, the time it takes to prepare for a phone call of this kind is rather lengthy. But, when done well, the success rate is very high.
Sometimes the answer to that question is directly related to the desperation with which you view your ability to secure a position for which you are qualified. You may start off with classified ads in the beginning, then move to the internet and maybe a few weeks later join a networking club... or you may do all of them at the same time.
The more effort you put into your job search, the more successful you will be in getting a position you value. They are directly proportional to one another.
The internet is a great place to obtain a vast amount of information. You can research nearly any organization, product, service and sometimes even people. Learn all that you can about finding the right job, but don't limit your job search to a few internet job boards.
Broaden your horizons and strike out in a variety of methods to ensure your success. You are worth it.
For even more information about job interview questions and how to answer them, consider the "Job Interview Success System."
One of the 5 key components of this system is a 31-page report entitled "How to Give Job-Winning Answers to Interview Questions." In addition to giving more tips and strategies on general answering techniques, it lists 45 of the easiest, toughest, silliest and most common job interview questions as well as how to respond to them.