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Workwrite Resumes

A Resume Checklist: Apply for advertised positions

By investing in a professionally written resume, you’re already positioned yourself ahead of other job seekers. But don’t let that advantage go to waste. Now that you have your resume, what should you do with it?

This series of posts will give you strategies for what you can — and should — do with your resume to maximize your chances of finding and securing your next job.

Of course, the most common use for your new resume is to apply for positions you see advertised on job boards and company websites, in newspapers and trade journals, and through recommendations from friends. In fact, most people nowadays believe that is what a job search is: Applying online and waiting for the phone to ring.

What may surprise you is that most job seekers fall short in maximizing their resume because they stop there.

When applying for positions, don’t just send in your resume and hope for a callback. The most recent research says your chances of landing that job are about 3 percent.

Instead, optimize your chances of securing an interview by making a personal contact within the company. You can use online networking sites LinkedIn and Glassdoor to identify possible contacts. You may find that you already know someone who works for the employer (or you know someone who knows someone). Many times, you can identify a hiring manager by name by researching the company. Start with a simple Google search, and check out the company’s website.

The human contact will already differentiate you from the hundreds (and sometimes thousands!) of applicants who simply click the apply button and wait.

But don’t stop there. Next, we’ll discuss how to discover the positions that are not advertised. You will be shocked at the percentage of positions that do not appear online.

 

Green check image courtesy yodiyim via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

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