Before you apply for another job, make sure that you aren't just wasting your time.
I know, the job market is tough out there. It's so easy to feel overwhelmed and desperate for any job, that you just send out resumes to every job posting and hope for a nibble of interest. With so much of the modern job search happening online, it's very easy to do just that, but it doesn't help and it is, in fact, very counterproductive.
Blanketing the town with your resume was a successful tactic years ago, but these days, the pool of available talent is so huge that unless you make a targeted job search, you will probably be wasting your time.
Before you apply for another job, make sure that you are applying for a job you believe you have a chance at getting.
Here are 3 questions you should ask yourself before applying for your next job:
- Am I qualified for this position? - Although this one seems like a no-brainer, hiring mangers say that almost 80 percent of the resumes they receive are from people who are not qualified, have no experience in the particular field or from people who have stated in their resume or cover letter that they are looking for a position in an entirely different field. If you are trying to change job fields and think that you have related experience and honestly believe that you would be a good fit for the job, then address that in your cover letter. Otherwise, if you aren't qualified for the job, don't waste your time.
- Did I write a simple cover letter? - If you can't be bothered to write a cover letter for each job you apply for, don't expect a hiring manager to be bothered to figure out why they should hire you. A cover letter doesn't have to be long or complicated. Just let the employer know why you are applying and why you think that you are a good fit for the job opening. The goal of a cover letter is to introduce yourself and give the reader a reason to look at your resume.
- Can I customize my resume for the job? - When you chose only the jobs you are qualified for, this step becomes simple. Re-read the job listing and make sure that your resume shows the skills or experience the employer is looking for. If you have some unrelated job experience, you don't have to give in depth information about that, but make sure that you expand on anything that you feel is relevant to this particular job. Sometimes it's helpful to do some research on the company to find out more about who they are and what their corporate culture is like. Remember that your resume is a marketing tool, not an autobiography.
Don't waste your time applying for hundreds of jobs that aren't right for you. Instead, target the openings in your field or area of expertise. Take the time to write a cover letter and customize your resume for those particular positions. By showing a recruiter or hiring manager that you are serious about your job search, that you want that job in particular and that you understand how to market yourself will set you apart from the majority of applicants and increase your chances of getting the job you really want.
Have you tried applying for a gazillion different job? How did that work for you? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for ManufacturingWorkersBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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