The reality of the modern jobseeker, is that they only time they are actively engaged in searching for a job is when they need to secure a new job, or are bored and frustrated with the current job.  Is job-hunting is a reactive, episodic activity that you do when you have to?

However by having such a reactive approach to your career or securing a new job could be detrimental to your career.  To be really effective, you need to undertake job-hunting tasks now, not when an unexpected career transition such as a layoff, or firing happens, or when you reach the tipping point when you just need to change job.

To be an effective modern jobseeker, you need to change your perspective and undertake the following activities.  These include:

Online Visibility

You need to understand that being a successful job seeker is increasingly about your online visibility and presence.  This means guarding your online reputation even when not looking for a job and ensuring that you keep an eye out for your name online.  Google your name and check what comes up about you and if necessary remove all material that could make a bad impression, such as questionable comments on blogs or on Facebook, participation in seedy forums, or unflattering photographs.  Anything posted about you on the Internet is fair game, so tidy up what is online.

Plus start utilising the Internet to enhance your career prospects, so that you become someone of interest to recruiters or employers, and become a candidate before the job ever becomes a job advertisement that others can apply for. Use the Internet to enhance your profile, such as posting articles online within your area of expertise, developing an online resume, or even blogging.

Finally develop your LinkedIn profile and actively network online.  Don’t wait until you need to find a job to establish and nurture online networks through LinkedIn.  When you are not looking for a job, is the perfect time to get out there and network online, so when you do start looking, you have a strong LinkedIn presence and network in place that you can successfully utilise.

Preparation of resume

When a job seeker needs to find a job, they rush out to update their resume, understanding that without a resume, it will be impossible to find a job.  However tasks like updating a resume should be ongoing.  If you have not already done so, develop a spreadsheet or a word document and start documenting and tracking ALL accomplishments and positive feedback that you receive.  If you want to land a great job, you need to focus less on what you do, but more on what contributions you have made and what problems you have solved for your employer.  If you have recorded these, it will be very easy to update your resume, or have the information on hand so that an experienced resume writer can create a strong and compelling document.

Face-to-Face networking

The thrust of most job seekers is the job board, instead of generating a multi-faceted campaign that involves tasks such as LinkedIn or the building of face-to-face connections.  Networking should be an ongoing activity, so that you can tap into the so-called ‘hidden job’ market, which are basically those jobs and opportunities that exist but are not advertised.  Also with an established network, when the need arises you will be in the position of being able to quickly locate opportunities amongst your established network of people.

Unemployment is holding steady, but in spite of this, it seems to take longer to secure a job and the Australian job market is still really competitive.  In such a market, it is very easy to get discouraged, as it seems to be taking such a long time to secure a new job, let alone securing a dream job.

However, there are still jobs to be found, employers are STILL recruiting and people are still landing jobs on a daily basis.

So what is the secret to landing a job fast?

Well, there is no secret.  Jobseekers securing jobs in a competitive environment, are simply managing to sell themselves effectively to employers.  So how do you sell yourself effectively in this current environment?

Well, the answer is that you communicate your potential worth, by focussing on your ability to deliver RESULTS to employers?  In order to communicate your potential worth, you need to use the same strategies that companies use to market themselves namely positioning, packaging, promotion, persuasion, and performance.

By using these same marketing strategies, you will easily distinguish yourself from hundreds of other jobseekers and land a job fast.

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So you have lost your job, moving job or just looking for a new career opportunity.  Like millions before you, you browse for jobs on major job boards like SEEK and CareerOne, find the perfect job, submit your resume and then.………..NOTHING!

No response, no feedback or if you get feedback, the generic rejection letter.  If you are lucky, you will be in the 4 – 10% that actually successfully conducts and finds a job online.  But if you are like the remaining 90 – 96% who exclusively conducts a job-hunt online with the major job boards, you might be destined to failure.

So why is it with job boards being so popular, they are so ineffective?

Advertising on job boards is the last resort for employers (not first)

The typical employer, general fills a vacancy in this order:

(a) Promoting within, (b) hiring someone that is known through a network, or someone that comes recommended by a friend, or colleague, (c) using a recruitment agency, (d) advertising both online, or in newspapers, and coming in at last place (e) an unsolicited resume.

Conversely, a typical job-hunter looks for work, the opposite way, in particular by using the job board.  What this means, is that by just using job boards, you are missing out on 85% of the jobs out there, that get filled through recruiting options that employers prefer.

Major job boards are ineffective because they are popular

Job boards have changed the recruitment landscape.  In the days prior to the internet and the job board, employers advertised in the local newspaper and received a dozen or so applicants.  Today, an employer advertises and is inundated by job applicants, because let’s face it – finding jobs to apply for is so easy for the jobseeker!

What this means to you, is that your competition has just expanded at an unprecedented rate.  More competition, the lower the chances of success – unless you take the steps necessary to outshine the competition!

The gatekeeper is in charge

For the bulk of jobs advertised online, your resume will end up in the lap of the gatekeeper, namely HR personnel.  The gatekeeper is exactly that, what stops your resume from being placed directly into the hands of real decision-makers.

Think of them as the bouncer in front of an exclusive nightclub.  They have complete discretion over who comes to the party or not and will stop letting people through, once the room is full.  They might let a few people through, if they like the look of them, but the majority don’t get to come to the party.

You have to keep in mind that HR’s job is to simply ‘weed out’ job candidates and the less applicants they have to deal with face-to-face the better.  So if possible, avoid HR altogether and get your resume directly in front of the real decision makers.

Automated processes rule

Due to their popularity, employers now receive hundreds of applications from jobseekers.  To cope with the overwhelming influx, many employers have turned to technology to process applications.

What this means to you, is that your resume won’t even get read, unless it passes the keyword search and is scannable.  So you might be the perfect candidate, but that machine won’t know you are the perfect candidate, unless your resume contains all the optimal key words.

Then when you pass muster on the keyword search, your resume will be quickly ‘eyeballed’ by a recruiter or HR.  If you don’t make the cut during the 30-second review time, kiss goodbye to the job.

The solution to winning over the automated processes is to ensure that keywords are contained in your resume AND have a resume that can elicit a positive reaction within 30 seconds.  Unfortunately over 95% of jobseekers don’t have this type of resume.

Conclusion

For all their popularity, job boards have massive limitations for the job seeker.  Job boards are inherently tools built for employers and recruiters, rather than serving the needs of job seekers.  This is driven by the fact that job board revenue is generated by employers and recruiters advertising, not specifically by job seekers.

The reality is that the majority of job seekers don’t get their jobs from the major job boards (although the marketing from branded job boards would make you believe otherwise).