A commenter to my last post criticized the idea of pursuing maximum exposure for your resume (the shotgun approach). I welcome the criticism, as it means someone is actually reading my ramblings and I’m not just writing this blog as an exercise. And besides, if everyone agreed with everything I wrote this would be a very boring blog indeed.
Now as the commenter said, it is indeed true that you can be successful by focusing with laser-like intensity on the job you want. You visualize the position, research companies that do the type of work you’re interested in, and if possible try to make contact with someone on the inside. Basically the idea is to focus all your efforts on the job(s) you’re most qualified for and which you most desire.
However, you can also be successful by conducting a broad search, posting your resume to the job boards and applying to all jobs you’re a reasonable match for. As I noted, this is playing a numbers game; assuming that your chances of landing a particular job are low, you pursue as many jobs as possible to maximize your odds. That’s what most people instinctively do.
Which of these two avenues you choose is up to you. However, I feel that a targeted search is more appropriate in certain circumstances, such as with specialized fields. For instance, I once knew an aeronautical engineering major who told me there might be only one or two companies in the country that might possibly hire him. Clearly it made sense for him to conduct a targeted search, and to contact alumni in those companies who could provide him with an introduction or any other sort of an edge.
Likewise, other circumstances may direct you towards a targeted search. Perhaps you live in a geographical area that has few attractive employers in your field, or maybe you are really interested in working for a particular company (e.g., Microsoft in the ‘90s or Google in the early 2000’s). Then by all means, you should focus your efforts on those companies rather than spamming your resumes to anyone with an e-mail inbox.
On the other hand, where would you focus your job search efforts these days as a general web developer? There are many companies in Southern California doing web development, and I personally am not drawn to any particular one, nor do I know of anyone who is either. Perhaps I’m just jaded in my old age, but to me every company has its good points and bad points. That doesn’t mean all companies are the same, but I do consider each position on its own merits, and a company’s reputation is just one of many things I look at when I decide whether I want to work there.
Also, as I alluded in my comment response, I’ve gotten at least two jobs at companies I’d never heard of through recruiters who found my resume online. They both turned out to be pretty good companies, and ones I most likely would not have found on my own. I think that result was well worth having to put up with all the recruiter spam.
Again, this is just my opinion; that’s why it’s called a blog. Feel free to beg to differ with me (though of course you don’t actually have to beg). I look forward to any and all feedback.
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1 comment:
I'm in the middle of a job search and I started out by only applying to a small set of companies. Some fell through, some I decided I didn't like. I've noticed that the jobs that are most interesting to me are the ones that other people have referred to me through acquaintances or people who have found my resume somewhere. A couple companies that I thought I would really like, I interviewed with and realize that they were the opposite of where I wanted to work. I see nothing wrong with spreading out but focusing on the jobs that you want. It's not like I'm getting hundreds of email or calls a day.
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