Job Search Tips

The most common error that job seekers make is sending out hundreds, or even thousands, of generic resumes and cover letters to every potential employer they can think of. The results of this scattershot strategy are predictable. The job seeker gets no positive feedback, and his or her morale soon begins to sink.

Why doesn't this strategy work better? It's precisely because of its lack of focus. Most employers receive hundreds of resumes and cover letters for every single opening they advertise. The first job applicants they cut from consideration are the 80 to 90 percent who did not take the trouble to tailor their resumes or cover letters for the position being advertised. You'll get much better results if you target your cover letters and resumes to specific employers.

Here's an example of how this works:

Job Seeker A sends his resume to the first 1,000 jobs he finds on monster.com. Thanks to modern technology, he can do this very quickly and with minimal effort. He sits back and waits for the phone to start ringing.

Job Seeker B, by contrast, spends an entire day carefully selecting positions of interest to her. She customizes her resume and cover letter for each specific position. She even uses the Internet to look for the name of the hiring manager at each firm she is applying to, and, when she can find it, addresses her cover letter to that individual. At the end of a long day, she has managed to apply for 12 positions.

Who's the smarter job seeker? In a world where hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes for each opening, it's Job Seeker B. Although she only sent out 12 resumes, she'll get a much better response rate than Job Seeker A does. Her "Dear [name], Attached please find my resume for ABC position within XYZ company. Amongst the skills I bring to DEF industry are ..." approach will ensure that her resume rises to the top of the pile, landing her among the 1% of applicants who receive callbacks. Meanwhile, Job seeker A's "To whom it may concern, find my attached resume for your position" approach won't endear him to a single employer. His resume will be among the 80 to 90 per cent that are immediately cut from further consideration.

The other job search tips fall into three different categories:

Dealing with Headhunters

Resume Writing Tips

Job Interview Tips