FINDING JOBS: The Classic Approach

Once you have done your planning and homework, either from my earlier columns or via traditional job-hunting programs, it is time to apply for jobs. You know what you want to do. You have a resume to assist you. Now it is time to find the right opportunities and get those interviews.

The Classic Approach: Responding to Job Ads

You can find job ads online, in print, via mailing lists or job boards, or other ways. Once you see an ad that matches your interests, it is your turn to make the employer aware that you are qualified and interested in the position.

Here's the drill:

First, do a little research on the organization.
Second, write a good cover letter.
Third, send the appropriate resume with it, following instructions in the ad.

See, it is not so hard to understand. But sometimes it is hard to do. Lots of hiring managers can tell you about the cover letter they got that was addressed to another company, or the resume sent in with no details about why/what for, and so forth.

So what do you do? First, do your research!

See what you can find out about the organization: look at its website if one is shown or do a search for it, try a web search for recent articles or information, ask people you know, and ask the reference librarian at your local public library. Most organizations have some public information, if only what the local economic development agency keeps on them.

This research should help you decide if you are interested in working there. Think carefully about the information you have gathered to see if the position and the organization meet your goals and values.

If you are still interested, write a good cover letter. Most major job sites, like Monster, have examples and articles on cover letters. One of the most comprehensive set of sample letters is at www.careerlab.com.

What is a 'good' cover letter? It includes the following:

• Title of the position and the source of the ad.
• A brief recap of your background as it relates to the specifications detailed in the ad. This is the most important part, and a simple chart is often the easiest way to make clear your qualifications for each requirement stated.
• A reference to something you have learned about the organization that makes you a good match for its needs. This helps you show you did some homework first and know what you want. It also says you understand something important about the business and can help the company succeed.
• Details about how to contact you.

This letter should be one page at most. Avoid cliches. Proofread it carefully: errors here are a red flag that you are careless.

More from Patra on Cover Letters Cover Letters: Why Bother? For the 40Plus DC Chapter April 24, 2006

Why bother?

The time spent and information gathered will result in a higher probability of getting the interview. You will stand out from all those applicants who did not bother or who sent in a generic 'I am very interested in your job and have all the skills you seek' type letter. Hiring managers and HR folk look at your cover letter and see a potential employee.

The Right Resume

You have written your cover letter. Now choose the most appropriate resume for the position. You may have only one resume, or you may have several. But when it comes time to respond to an ad, you want your resume to be tailored to the position. This is not as hard as it sounds:

Compare your resume versus the job specifications. Should you add or expand anything? Make a relevant relationship pop out?

Perhaps you have done freelance work, which you show on your master resume in terms of the work done or technologies used. Look at this work to see if you have worked for any clients in the same industry as the hiring organization; if so, you might put in those clients' names. Or, you are applying for the webmaster position at an online antique mall – that college job you had in an antique shop would be a great addition.

Don't expect your cover letter to do all of this for you. Your resume needs to reinforce that. One of the delights of computers is that this is easy to do. One of the difficulties is that now everyone expects you to do such tailored resumes. The days of the fancy printed 'resume for all purposes' are long gone.

Now it is time to send your package off.

Many organizations prefer all resumes to come via email. Make it easy on them, and cut and paste all your text into the email if they do not specify that they will accept attachments. Lots of organizations have grown leery of the bugs that come as attachments. If they accept attachments, do put your cover letter into the email and save your resume for the attachment. If you do send an attachment, be sure it is in the most common formats so that there are no translation problems. If your response is not directly to a button on the organization's website, remember to use the position title as the subject line in your email. Do not name your resume ‘resume.doc' – put your name in it.

If they ask for responses by fax or regular mail, follow their request. If you don't have access to a fax, local office supply stores and a wide range of other services offer them at reasonable rates.

Other Aspects of Responding to Job Ads

1. Timing
   
   Every expert has a different view on how fast you should respond to an ad. There are the 'have it on their desk within one day' folk to the 'use any ad, no matter how old.' While most hiring managers want a person yesterday, few respond that quickly themselves. So, when you see an ad that interests you, check the date. If it is relatively recent (I think that means up to 4 weeks old for most positions, more for the most unusual or senior ones, 1-2 months for those in trade periodicals), respond. If you see an ad in the Sunday paper, take enough time to do the research. Getting it there Monday is not critical.
   
   
2. Salary
   
   What if the ad says you must include salary to be considered? DON'T! You do not know where your information may be passed. Tell them you will be happy to discuss it if there is a potential match. Or give a range you would accept ($45-$60,000) if you prefer. Or just ignore the request.
   
   Want a wonderful and different take on this from a headhunter's perspective? Go to www.asktheheadhunter.com and look at the article on salary questions.
   
   
3. Response Time
   
   No response to your resume? Follow up at the 10- to 12-day point – emails do get lost, recruiters do get busy. Two follow-ups is the max though, if they do not contact you. Make your follow-up notes (or calls if you have a number) professional:
   
   

   I sent in my resume for job x two weeks ago, and I am very interested in the position. Could you tell me if any decisions have been made or when I might expect to hear?

   No demands, no fuss, no threats. And, yes, every recruiter has had these: the applicants who demand to talk to an executive because the recruiter is obviously too stupid to see their worth, the person who curses or cries.

Tips:

• Don't apply to several different jobs at an organization in a short time. Recruiters do notice and wonder why you do not know what you want to do.
• On the other hand, if it has been some months and the same or a similar job opens up, do apply again. Many organizations don't review their resume files effectively; others do not maintain such files.

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