I'm sure I qualify; now let me apply!
July 7, 2010 2:19 PM Subscribe
Job hunting for unspecified jobs! Help a new grad.
So I'm going to be done with undergrad in about 3 weeks and am obviously looking out for jobs.
Herein lies my problem: many companies nowadays use electronic submission systems. There are often unposted jobs. For example: a friend of mine has a coworker who is going to apply at Company A for some labwork, and has told her that Company A is hiring madly for techs, and that there's unposted jobs--might as well apply and see what you get!
It's better than retail, and I'm qualified (I think) so I want to give it a shot. Problem: There's nothing posted for the location that her coworker said that is hiring (for the purposes of this question, let's assume I don't want to relocate to another province/state/country, but remain somewhere in a commutable distance). There is no catchall careers @ Company A email address that I can find, at least not on the website.
I'm not specifying towards company A here (although it is my example), but this is something I find occurs at least semi-frequently; I've had instances where, in trying to call HR and inquire "is there an email I can send this to?" and am told "We don't accept email/faxed resumes, just apply through the website". But when the website doesn't give me the entirety of what's available...I kinda want to see if there's other avenues.
What to do here?
(In this case I'm assuming that asking Friend to ask her Coworker about how to apply might be something to try, since s/he is obviously applying to something there and may know email addresses or people. However, I'm also asking broadly towards the general situation in which it's very possible that I, as well as anyone I know, don't know anyone at a given company.)
So I'm going to be done with undergrad in about 3 weeks and am obviously looking out for jobs.
Herein lies my problem: many companies nowadays use electronic submission systems. There are often unposted jobs. For example: a friend of mine has a coworker who is going to apply at Company A for some labwork, and has told her that Company A is hiring madly for techs, and that there's unposted jobs--might as well apply and see what you get!
It's better than retail, and I'm qualified (I think) so I want to give it a shot. Problem: There's nothing posted for the location that her coworker said that is hiring (for the purposes of this question, let's assume I don't want to relocate to another province/state/country, but remain somewhere in a commutable distance). There is no catchall careers @ Company A email address that I can find, at least not on the website.
I'm not specifying towards company A here (although it is my example), but this is something I find occurs at least semi-frequently; I've had instances where, in trying to call HR and inquire "is there an email I can send this to?" and am told "We don't accept email/faxed resumes, just apply through the website". But when the website doesn't give me the entirety of what's available...I kinda want to see if there's other avenues.
What to do here?
(In this case I'm assuming that asking Friend to ask her Coworker about how to apply might be something to try, since s/he is obviously applying to something there and may know email addresses or people. However, I'm also asking broadly towards the general situation in which it's very possible that I, as well as anyone I know, don't know anyone at a given company.)
PS- If you're asking why you can't do that at every company you're interested in, I think the answer is that you can. You can submit a resume to any company in the hopes they have something that you're right for. The success rate will just be low. That's why some people do lots and lots of that.
posted by parkerjackson at 3:09 PM on July 7, 2010
posted by parkerjackson at 3:09 PM on July 7, 2010
Response by poster: Guess I was slightly doped up on cold meds when I wrote this. Let's try again!
The application system online doesn't give a catchall email or some other method of application without it tied to a posting, as far as I can see. Basically, there's a job basket you add jobs to, and then you select a particular job in the basket, and upload documents to it.
In this case, although second-hand sources told me there are openings locally, they aren't posted, and the only posted ones aren't even in my country.
Unless you mean specifically for me to apply for the 'out of country' ones (which I'm not interested in and don't actually qualify for, as they're better and more demanding positions than my current credentials qualify me for) just for the sake of them having my resume, and hope that they'd contact me about unposted local jobs I do qualify for...?
For a previous application at a different place with the exact same situation, I actually phoned up their HR and asked them about it, and they told me they don't accept email/faxed applications and all must be done through the online application system (which of course doesn't always post all opportunities). Basically I'm wondering if this kind of hidden jobs guarded at the gate by the online application system is only able to be circumvented if you know people inside the company already, or if there's other things to try.
posted by Hakaisha at 9:57 AM on July 10, 2010
The application system online doesn't give a catchall email or some other method of application without it tied to a posting, as far as I can see. Basically, there's a job basket you add jobs to, and then you select a particular job in the basket, and upload documents to it.
In this case, although second-hand sources told me there are openings locally, they aren't posted, and the only posted ones aren't even in my country.
Unless you mean specifically for me to apply for the 'out of country' ones (which I'm not interested in and don't actually qualify for, as they're better and more demanding positions than my current credentials qualify me for) just for the sake of them having my resume, and hope that they'd contact me about unposted local jobs I do qualify for...?
For a previous application at a different place with the exact same situation, I actually phoned up their HR and asked them about it, and they told me they don't accept email/faxed applications and all must be done through the online application system (which of course doesn't always post all opportunities). Basically I'm wondering if this kind of hidden jobs guarded at the gate by the online application system is only able to be circumvented if you know people inside the company already, or if there's other things to try.
posted by Hakaisha at 9:57 AM on July 10, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by parkerjackson at 3:07 PM on July 7, 2010