Jobsearch Process
February 28, 2015 5:49 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for a new job online and, after some research, I've developed a little process to do so (high-level detail inside).
I'm not getting the greatest amount of hits (~5 suitable jobs per week), so I'm just looking for some feedback on my process, just to see if there's any gaping holes, or useful tweaks I could make.
Pre-Process
1) Identified a bucket of search terms which covered; job titles/ keywords; locations; salary ranges
2) Assessed different job sites, and determined that Indeed.com was the best resource for me (primarily because it permitted multiple search terms)
Process Preparation
1) Created Indeed.com account
2) Entered 15 different searches, using; various job titles/ keywords; 2 locations; 1 salary range (these searches are retained by Indeed)
Process
1) Run each of the 15 searches daily
2) Sort each search by "new jobs"
3) Save potential positions to my account
4) Review all potential positions for that day in my account
5) Apply for any suitable positions
Thoughts? (I'm guessing that searching by salary may introduce odd variability as, since many listings don't include a salary, Indeed must conduct some backend voodoo on that one).
Pre-Process
1) Identified a bucket of search terms which covered; job titles/ keywords; locations; salary ranges
2) Assessed different job sites, and determined that Indeed.com was the best resource for me (primarily because it permitted multiple search terms)
Process Preparation
1) Created Indeed.com account
2) Entered 15 different searches, using; various job titles/ keywords; 2 locations; 1 salary range (these searches are retained by Indeed)
Process
1) Run each of the 15 searches daily
2) Sort each search by "new jobs"
3) Save potential positions to my account
4) Review all potential positions for that day in my account
5) Apply for any suitable positions
Thoughts? (I'm guessing that searching by salary may introduce odd variability as, since many listings don't include a salary, Indeed must conduct some backend voodoo on that one).
You should look in more places than Indeed. I'd also check Craigslist and LinkeIn. Also if there are any companies in particular you want to work for, stalk their actual job boards.
In terms of processes, I would also include "keep track of job applications." I always save the job descriptions, and also the specific cover letters and resumes used in the applications.
As for how "suitable" you need to be, I'd say if you're at least 80% qualified, go for it. A lot of employers are a little ambitious as to what they're looking for, and will put more of their "ideal" candidate instead of their "realistic" candidate. Nobody is going to meet every single bullet point.
posted by radioamy at 6:13 PM on February 28, 2015
In terms of processes, I would also include "keep track of job applications." I always save the job descriptions, and also the specific cover letters and resumes used in the applications.
As for how "suitable" you need to be, I'd say if you're at least 80% qualified, go for it. A lot of employers are a little ambitious as to what they're looking for, and will put more of their "ideal" candidate instead of their "realistic" candidate. Nobody is going to meet every single bullet point.
posted by radioamy at 6:13 PM on February 28, 2015
A lot of jobs don't post salary ranges. make sure you're not eliminating those by accident.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:30 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:30 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
The fact that you're asking:
I've also noticed that I'm suitable for quite a few jobs, but not perfect for them - do you still apply for those "not perfect" jobs? Where do you draw the line?
Indicates strongly that you are a woman. It is a pretty well-documented fact that women tend not to apply for jobs they aren't 100% qualified for. But the requirements on a job posting (as noted above) are often more of a wish list. If you meet a majority of the requirements, apply.
Also, +1 to saving the job descriptions. I copy/paste them into a document so I can refer to them later. Sometimes they take them down when they have enough suitable candidates to interview, and being able to refer to the job description helps a lot when preparing for the interview.
posted by jeoc at 9:05 PM on February 28, 2015
I've also noticed that I'm suitable for quite a few jobs, but not perfect for them - do you still apply for those "not perfect" jobs? Where do you draw the line?
Indicates strongly that you are a woman. It is a pretty well-documented fact that women tend not to apply for jobs they aren't 100% qualified for. But the requirements on a job posting (as noted above) are often more of a wish list. If you meet a majority of the requirements, apply.
Also, +1 to saving the job descriptions. I copy/paste them into a document so I can refer to them later. Sometimes they take them down when they have enough suitable candidates to interview, and being able to refer to the job description helps a lot when preparing for the interview.
posted by jeoc at 9:05 PM on February 28, 2015
Career Tools says the rule of applying for jobs is if you're 75% qualified, go for it. Also, don't forget to network. I'm looking also so I'll be following this thread :)
posted by Koko at 9:20 PM on February 28, 2015
posted by Koko at 9:20 PM on February 28, 2015
I think it is very limiting to only use Indeed. Add Craigslist, and add City, County and State sites -and USAjobs if you are interested in Federal- for the place you live (or if you would consider relocating, for the place you would like to live.) You don't mention what type of work you do but there may also be resources aimed specifically at that occupation, e.g. there are job sites just for librarians, teachers, etc.
You should definitely apply for the jobs you aren't 100% qualified for. At my last job, I was often surprised at the people hired who didn't have all of the qualifications. Plus, you may not have the qualifications for that job, but someone may remember something about your resume that fits a job that opens up later. And you never know what will attract an employer, e.g., maybe you are missing a qualification or two, but are very qualified in the thing they need most.
I kept a file on my Mac of job descriptions, resumes (always adjusted for that particular job) and cover letters. Then I could tweak them a little for new jobs I applied for. I also kept a log of date application was sent, when I got a call, when I had an interview or if I never heard anything, I noted that too. I've had two heavy periods of applying for jobs in the past four years and am now in a good job I hope to stay in for a long time. It took awhile, but patience and persistence (and not taking things personally) will eventually pay off. Good luck!
posted by knolan at 9:40 PM on February 28, 2015
You should definitely apply for the jobs you aren't 100% qualified for. At my last job, I was often surprised at the people hired who didn't have all of the qualifications. Plus, you may not have the qualifications for that job, but someone may remember something about your resume that fits a job that opens up later. And you never know what will attract an employer, e.g., maybe you are missing a qualification or two, but are very qualified in the thing they need most.
I kept a file on my Mac of job descriptions, resumes (always adjusted for that particular job) and cover letters. Then I could tweak them a little for new jobs I applied for. I also kept a log of date application was sent, when I got a call, when I had an interview or if I never heard anything, I noted that too. I've had two heavy periods of applying for jobs in the past four years and am now in a good job I hope to stay in for a long time. It took awhile, but patience and persistence (and not taking things personally) will eventually pay off. Good luck!
posted by knolan at 9:40 PM on February 28, 2015
Seconding radioamy's recommendation to check the job boards of specific companies you're interested in, and also LinkedIn job boards for your area. Absolutely apply for jobs you aren't 100% qualified for. I once heard an HR manager say "We advertise for unicorns hoping to find some fast horses," which I think sums up how most companies advertise open positions.
Something that helped me last time I was doing a job search was saving all my cover letter and resume iterations, labeling them by company/position, and flagging the ones that got a positive response from an actual person. Not all of the callbacks led to interviews, but I was at least able to identify patterns in what was working in my cover letters and what wasn't. (For me, writing in a more casual tone and mentioning specific points of interest about the company are a combo that works pretty consistently. YMMV.)
posted by Owlcat at 8:47 AM on March 1, 2015
Something that helped me last time I was doing a job search was saving all my cover letter and resume iterations, labeling them by company/position, and flagging the ones that got a positive response from an actual person. Not all of the callbacks led to interviews, but I was at least able to identify patterns in what was working in my cover letters and what wasn't. (For me, writing in a more casual tone and mentioning specific points of interest about the company are a combo that works pretty consistently. YMMV.)
posted by Owlcat at 8:47 AM on March 1, 2015
Best answer: Because you can use boolean logic for indeed searches, you should be able to compress your 15 searches into a single search. This way, you will only see each job once (rather than once for #7 and once for #11), which should make your life easier.
Definitely remove the salary range from your search criteria -- otherwise, you are automatically weeding out the 90% of jobs with no salary posted. (If you want to know how much a job pays, your best bet is glassdoor.)
posted by yonglin at 10:29 AM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Definitely remove the salary range from your search criteria -- otherwise, you are automatically weeding out the 90% of jobs with no salary posted. (If you want to know how much a job pays, your best bet is glassdoor.)
posted by yonglin at 10:29 AM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by forallmankind at 5:53 PM on February 28, 2015