Don’t Be a Job Search Joke – Recruiters Aren’t Kidding About This Advice
By — — Posted in Job Search Tips, Real HR Manager & Recruiter Advice
“The foolish man
is always doing,
yet much remains
to be done.
The wise man
does nothing,
yet nothing remains
undone.”
– Lao Tzu
April Fool’s week, did someone play a joke on you? Was it a good one?
Sometimes we think that multi-tasking is the wisest way to be productive.
Or we think blanketing our resume everywhere in an attempt to be “doing everything we can” is the best strategy for getting ourselves out there & finding a job.
We’d be kidding ourselves if we did.
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A friend of mine & I got ‘talking shop’ last Friday night over artichoke dip and drinks.She happens to also be a recruitment consultant for a multi-billion dollar international much-sought after employer.
According to her, one of the worse things you can do is apply for EVERY JOB you see at a particular company. She & the rest of the recruitment team can’t figure out why job seekers do that – to show they’re super interested and willing to anything to get their foot in the door? They must be joking, she says, thinking that foolish tactic will work.
These recruiters (who recommend candidates to the Hiring Managers!) say all that type of action does is reek of desperation and communicate you don’t know your own qualifications & which positions are best suit you (or you don’t care). Once they see a name on sooo many applications, they ‘red flag’ that person in their mind as an undesirable candidate. NOT what that resume blaster had in mind, huh?
It’s foolish to think that making the MOST or hardest or longest effort is the best way to accomplish our goals.
Like a targeted resume and cover letter tailored to that particular company and job, making fewer but smarter choices on how to spend our energy in a job search will most likely be ultimately most effective.
Don’t waste your own, or the employer’s time by applying for things you aren’t qualified for (another fast way to get deleted, says my recruiter friend). Instead, take your time focusing on the jobs that best match your interests, skills and experience. THAT will energy well spent.
While we can’t do nothing (as Lao Tzu may be implying above), we can CHOOSE WISELY the actions we take while looking for work.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking scattered focus and energy will do the trick.
The joke would be on you.
Want to avoid other faux pas hiring managers & recruiters do not find amusing? I highly recommend Ask a Manager’s book, How to Get a Job, Secrets of a Hiring Manager (and the blog, and Facebook page, too!)
Click here to visit Ask a Manager.
