You may wonder whether there is any point replying to posted job openings. There are certainly pros and cons that you have to be aware of, and you are likely to have heard lots of them. Let’s take a look at three key advantages and three key disadvantages of responding to these ads and how you can make sure that you stand out to a prospective employer.
Pros of Posted Job Openings:
1. There are thousands of positions literally at your fingertips.
2. The jobs reflect national trends, which means you will instantly know whether you are in the right geographical area for someone with your skills.
3. It is an opportunity to do research into what different employers are looking for in applicants.
Cons of Posted Job Openings:
1. Not every job available is listed on the internet. In fact, did you know that only about 10% of all available positions find their way onto the largest, best known job boards? Plus, you will have tremendous competition for each position.
2. Some jobs that are posted aren’t “real” jobs. In fact, it is believed that as much as 50% of the jobs posted are only there to meet legal requirements, when the organization has already found someone.
3. You don’t get to contact the actual person who will hire you through these job boards. Rather, you will deal with a general HR person. This makes it harder to make a good first impression.
Should You Respond to Such Postings?
So is there any point to responding to these postings? According to experts, there certainly is. However, you need to make sure that you don’t make it your sole job locator. There are some fantastic boards out there, like HotJobs and Monster, but there are also great local newspapers, list servers, classified ads, local job boards, and more. In fact, you could even decide to send your resume directly to an organization that you would like to work for. If nothing else, that is certainly a great way to stand out from any competition.
Large job boards are good, but they also have a number of big problems, as expressed in the disadvantages above. You simply do not get a true picture of all the positions that are out there. Thus, there is a big chance that you will invest your energy – and your hope – in something that isn’t even there, and the competition is so serious that it is very easy to get disheartened. That said, someone has got to be appointed to those jobs, or at least the real ones, and it might as well be you. It is generally the larger organizations, with the bigger budgets, that use these boards because of the cost, which is certainly something that could translated into better working conditions as well.
The bottom line is this: if you want to find a job, you have to be proactive. You cannot expect something to fall into your lap without you having to do some work for it. However, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
