Job boards! A salvation for job seekers, or a modern form of cruel and unusual punishment?
Gone are the days of ‘pounding the pavement’ and ‘knocking on doors’ to find work. “Who you know, not what you know” used to be the way to secure a job, but luckily, today, the search is MUCH easier. In today’s modern world, jobs are coming to you! What more could you want? A simple solution, to an old school problem.
Employers need people. People need work. Traditionally, ‘who do you know?’ It would start a working relationship, but in our fast-paced world, time is a precious commodity. What was needed was a market. A market where the exchange of needs and skills can be found, merged and agreed. Hence the birth of the ‘job bag’. Like the stock market, the job board is a place to exchange needs and wants, and the best part? No one needs to move from their desk. It’s the perfect setup. Brilliant right? Not so much!
Technological advances like the Internet, company websites, and job boards provide opportunities 24 hours a day, seven days a week; all at the touch of a button (okay, there are a few more buttons involved than just one, but you get the idea…) At first glance, it seems like you’re really exposing yourself and your talents. But how effective is it? Actually?! Are we really saving time or just hiding behind a bunch of smoke and mirrors? Are there real results? Or are we just kicking up a bunch of dirt, putting on a good show, and just kidding ourselves?
For the seasoned job seeker, job boards are nothing more than a modern form of cruel and unusual punishment. A form of cyber torture if you will. Job hunting is a full-time job. Anyone who has experienced it in recent years will be quick to tell you that it leaves you mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. It’s the full-time job, minus the benefits and the warm, fuzzy ‘feeling of accomplishment’ that a real job brings.
From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that posting a resume on a job board or applying online is one of the most time-consuming exercises and tests of patience one can engage in. After spending hours reviewing resumes to adhere to each hiring manager’s preferred terminology, seekers go online to apply, creating login IDs on virtually every company site on the planet; jumping through hoops; filling in the blanks and required fields, and once again reformatting your beautiful Word document because the ‘text’ settings on the site don’t recognize pretty fonts or centering. So, you worry about the details, AGAIN, and when you’re finally happy with the end result, you cross your fingers, hit the “send” button, and 99.9 percent of the time, your efforts are rewarded with, wait for it. .. .nothing!
Your beautifully composed summary of all talents, strengths and abilities has now officially entered the proverbial ‘black hole’ of resumes, never to be heard, seen or looked at again. THIS my friends, is the modern job search path!!
To be fair, from time to time, to reassure you that you’re not wasting your time entirely and to restore your faith that there really is “something out there,” an email arrives thanking you for your interest and confirming receipt of your application. Those lucky enough to receive this special gift are so grateful to be recognized that they really want to thank the company for responding and, more importantly, confirming that there really is “something out there.” Prepare to be disappointed folks. The email is generic. One you can’t answer. So you can’t even thank them for acknowledging you in the first place, leaving you wondering again,
‘There is someone out there? Someone?’
In my experience, 90 percent of the time, posting is really just a technicality anyway. The right candidate has been selected long ago, but to appease those who want the job, but can’t have it because their coworker has already quietly ‘got’ it, the post is simply a politically correct move to silence the masses.
With over 10,000 jobs listed on a single site, I ask the question, ‘How is it that after 10 months of job hunting, hours of renewal, rephrasing and reformatting of resumes, my job search through job boards has had no success? Not even a bite! To be fair, on a few occasions I’ve gotten a response saying that surprisingly the position (posted three days ago) has been filled. “Thank you for your interest,” the note read. Interesting! Was the job posted, all resumes reviewed, interviews conducted and the ‘right person for the job’ hired by the morning of the third day? Amazing! Truly a miracle…
Naturally, this raises another question. Of the 10,000 jobs posted on a single site, how many of those jobs are actually ‘open’ and are the required qualifications reasonable, or just an employer wish list?
Naturally, employers want the best people in their shoes. Therefore, a job posting is a test of how close employers can get to ‘the ideal person’. That’s how it is! Job postings are simply a wish list from employers. The ideal candidate will have this, that, and the other, and oh, just for good measure, a bit of that too, please. The use of words like ‘must have’, ‘minimum of…’ and ‘expert knowledge of…’ are meant to weed out the weak and test the brave. Those who have 70 percent of the ‘must haves’ feel they don’t qualify for the position because the need for a ‘bachelor’s degree or a minimum of 5 years industry experience…’ is required to be successful in the position. . Result. It isn’t true! The International Association of Business Communicators has indicated that there is a large gap between intermediate and junior roles. Because? Junior level staff see the ‘wish list’ and are discouraged from applying because they feel intimidated.
A career management program I took two years ago indicated that 80 percent of the job market is hidden and only 20 percent of job seekers know how to take advantage of it. How do you ask? Simple. networks! Who do you know that I should meet? After 17 years in the banking world, I had no idea what networking was, and worse, no idea how to do it. I’m still not entirely comfortable with that. However, after ten months of searching, I finally landed my first interview and hopefully a new job. As? I met someone, who knew someone, who needs someone.
networks. This back to basics approach, this old school way of getting the paper right is the best kept secret of the 21st century. Therefore, while the masses are lost in the cyber “black hole” of resumes and databases, successful people are using the networks and advancing at record speed.
It turns out that going back to basics is the way to go, because after all that, when the dust settles and the smoke clears, it all comes down to one thing. ‘Who do you know that should?’
Recruiters? Now that’s another story…