A One-Stop Center for Guidance, Strategies, Tips and Tricks on All Things Job Search
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The Job Search Classroom
A One-Stop Center for Guidance, Strategies, Tips and Tricks on All Things Job Search
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** Responding to Job Postings **
While research shows that networking is the predominant means for identifying job
opportunities, advertised positions are still an important piece of this process as well. When
posted opportunities are found they need to be followed up on promptly. Posted jobs are done
directly by an employer and/or employment job sites and recruiters. In either case,
responding to the advertised positions of interest is an important first step in harvesting that
opportunity.
When responding to postings, whether they're online or not, a two-pronged response
strategy is usually recommended.
If the posting instructs you to send a response back to a specific person in the target
employer organization, then address the cover letter accordingly and send in the response
(the first prong). Then, a week or two later, a follow-up note or call later to the person is
suggested to: a) confirm receipt of response; b) reiterate/reinforce your interest in the
position; and c) establish another channel of contact, and potentially a more personal one,
to help raise the level of awareness of your response materials (this is the second prong).
More likely in this day and age, the posting is found online and requires submission of
material online. Further, the online response is usually to no particular person in the target
organization. In this case, respond online as instructed (again the first prong), and then
attempt to identify someone in the target organization to whom you can direct a more
targeted response (the second prong). The purpose of this second step is the same as
that mentioned above -- confirming receipt; reinforcing interest and establishing another
channel of contact. It also is designed to help draw attention to your online submission, vs.
the tens or hundreds the employer may have received.
Finally, you will want to have some form of organization to keep track of all of your
responses and other contacts. Some tools for this are provided in the section on Managing the Process, found in the Main Menu as well as
detailed below.
Some online submissions will allow for simply attaching an electronic copy of your resume, while others may require answering specific questions online. If answering specific questions is the only means of response, then…
TIP # 1: Use MS Word to compose any online questions that require more than a sentence in response.
Then copy and paste the response into the online question box.
This allows you to: 1) check spelling (in MS Word first); 2) easily keep a record of
what you provided online; and 3) if necessary, help you manage word counts. Some online
applications have word or character limits for their responses.
TIP # 2: Consider making a plain text resume. Formatting symbols embedded in the MS Word may
not translate well when copied and pasted.
…to that person that: a) reiterates your interest in the position; b) highlights what makes you a strong candidate for the position; c) states that you responded to the posting; and d) includes a hard copy of your resume, in case the original response did not reach the person. To be even more proactive, the letter can close with the note that you will call the person in a few days to confirm receipt of all materials they need.
…you begin having e-correspondence with. This will keep your general inbox cleaner and make tracking of correspondence on a job lead easier. Transfer your sent mail that relates to the job lead to this folder also for a complete record.