Pounding the... Keyboard?
As a job hunter I dedicate at least 45 minutes of my day to searching and applying for online job postings.
In the past three months, I've probably applied to 20 jobs online, using handy dandy online applications. They're great - no need to buy fancy resume paper, no overnight express mailing, no busy signals.
One-Two-Three, application done. And online makes multiple applications way easier. You can track the status of the application. You can print a copy for yourself. So many advantages.
But here's the downer - I think online applications have made the whole process far more anonymous and, thus, far more complicated.
"Only candidates selected for interviews" will be contacted. Fair enough. But online you aren't a person. You're a number. One of many, many numbers. And there's no piercing the online veil - impossible to set yourself apart from the pack.
Who reads these online apps? HR people? Who knows? There is very little divulged to the job seeker, and therefore little room to maneuver. No chance to really go for something you know you'd be great at.
I don't know what the feeling is on the other side, if employers prefer this method of selecting employees, but I think this 21 C. method of pavement pounding forces us to be far too passive.
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As a job hunter I dedicate at least 45 minutes of my day to searching and applying for online job postings.
In the past three months, I've probably applied to 20 jobs online, using handy dandy online applications. They're great - no need to buy fancy resume paper, no overnight express mailing, no busy signals.
One-Two-Three, application done. And online makes multiple applications way easier. You can track the status of the application. You can print a copy for yourself. So many advantages.
But here's the downer - I think online applications have made the whole process far more anonymous and, thus, far more complicated.
"Only candidates selected for interviews" will be contacted. Fair enough. But online you aren't a person. You're a number. One of many, many numbers. And there's no piercing the online veil - impossible to set yourself apart from the pack.
Who reads these online apps? HR people? Who knows? There is very little divulged to the job seeker, and therefore little room to maneuver. No chance to really go for something you know you'd be great at.
I don't know what the feeling is on the other side, if employers prefer this method of selecting employees, but I think this 21 C. method of pavement pounding forces us to be far too passive.
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