There are a number of reasons for this, but the most
likely is that when a want ad is placed in
a newspaper or on some other electronic job site, employers receive hundreds,
if not thousands of applications. It then takes an enormous amount of time for
staff to sort through the applications, check the references and conduct
interviews.
Moreover, there is now such a high turnover of
staff in most companies that employers are no longer willing to invest the
time and effort to find employees who may leave them a short time after
they are hired. They want to find someone who already has the necessary
training who can simply step in and begin to do the job. This way, if the
person decides to leave after a short time with the company, the employer
has not wasted much of an investment in training.
REFERRALS FROM OTHER EMPLOYEES
This is one of the most effective methods of finding
people to fill vacancies.
After all, if an employer hires a person based
on the referral of an existing employee, he knows that the person must
have the necessary qualities for the job. A current employee wouldn’t
risk his own job by referring a non-qualified person.
Therefore, if you are interested in working for a
particular company, it becomes very important for you to get to know the
employees of that company. You may not be able to develop a relationship
with the employer, but it should certainly be possible for you to
volunteer to work with the company during charitable events, or to take
part in sporting and recreational activities in the community of which
some of the employees are involved.
When you discover that some of your acquaintances are actually working
for a company with which you would like to seek employment, make sure that
they are aware of your interest.
Also, when you send a resume or
application, make sure you use existing employees as a reference. It is
much easier for an employer to walk down the hallway to seek a reference
from a current employee than to make a phone call to a perfect stranger.
Depending on the nature of the relationship you establish with the
employee of the desired company, you may also be able to ask the employee
to bring in your application for you and deliver it in person. Remember,
when you are trying to get started in your new career, it is no time to be
shy. Use whatever tools you have.
UNSOLICITED JOB SEEKERS
It never hurts to send in an unsolicited resume to a
company along with a well-worded cover letter.
Employers have more time to
read unsolicited resumes which come across their desk because of the fact
that there are so few of them.
Usually they have to go through hundreds of
resumes at once and are in a hurry. If they only have one resume, they
will take their time and look at it more carefully.
When you do this, however, make sure that the cover
letter makes reference to some recent accomplishment of the company, or
points out something about which the employer will feel especially proud.
When an employer sees that you are sincerely interested enough about his
company that you are paying attention to what the company is actually
doing, he/she will take notice.
There may not be a vacancy at the time,
but if you send updated resumes with appropriate cover letters on a
regular basis, the employer will be more likely to pull up your file when
a vacancy occurs. You just have to make sure that you keep this strategy
up and pay particular notice to the newspapers and business journals.
PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES
Private Employment Agencies - often referred to as
"Headhunters" - have become extremely popular in recent years.
All an employer has to do is send a request to an employment agency,
specifying the kind of person and the qualifications needed, and the
agency takes care of the rest. The fee is well worth the service provided
to find a person to fill an important position in the company.
Therefore, as a person seeking an entry-level position
in a chosen career field, it becomes increasingly difficult to find
openings. This means that you should consider registering with as many employment
agencies as you can. It also means that you have to update those records
frequently as you do more volunteer work and gain other work experience
through interim jobs.
When a "headhunter" searches through his
data-base, he simply puts in key words. The more of those "key
words" that are contained in your record, the better. You may have to
be prepared to move to an out-of-the way location to begin your career,
but if you leave your resume with the employment agencies, they will
continue to search out better positions with other companies and
eventually you may be able to find a job back home.
It makes as much sense to have an employment agent as it does to have a
real estate agent, an insurance agent or a travel agent.
When you need a
new job, let a professional do the work for you.
