How to get a job . . . who you know matters

By Jennifer Brewster
The adage “It’s not what you know but who you know that matters,” is weighted with fact. Surprisingly, you don’t have to know an influential person for years to make a connection that helps you get a quality job. Furthermore, the most influential person who can help you get a job you want isn’t usually wealthy. Instead, this person is often a human resources recruiter.

Get a job that you really want
After you research companies you want to work for and identify vacant jobs that match your skills, work experience and career aspirations, it’s time to apply for jobs. As a tip, if you create a spreadsheet that list each job you apply for with company name, job title, source you found the job in (i.e. Indeed, Media Bistro) and the date you applied for the job, you can know which sources (i.e. job boards, networking contacts) yield you the best results.

If you apply for jobs using those nerve wrecking employer online employment applications (don’t you miss the paper applications from years ago?), give yourself up to 10 minutes to complete a single application. Yes. They’re that bad.


According to a PBS report, “Frustrated job hunters told us in a NewsHour Making Sense report that automated job application forms were a waste of their time.” Furthermore, “In the same report, Peter Cappelli, a Wharton School of Business researcher, reported that 26,000 engineers applied online for a routine engineering job — and the software rejected every single application.”

If you’ve ever spent 10 or more minutes filling out one of those online employment applications only to receive an error message when you hit the “submit” button, you know how frustrating it can be to apply for work in today’s digital world. You also know how hard it is to get a response from a live human via telephone or email. As you continue to take steps to get a job you’ll love, this is where a recruiter can become your best friend.

Standing out amid a sea of job applicants
Job boards have flooded employer databases and email in-boxes with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of employment applications and cover letters. No recruiter can read through every single cover letter and employment application submitted by each person trying to get a job via an online job board. It’s a reason relying solely on job boards to find work is often a losing strategy. There are simply too many fish in the sea.

Send a recruiter an email, alerting her to the fact that you’re interested in a specific job at the company. Only reach out to recruiters for jobs you sincerely want. Oh, and, by the way, recruiters can tell when you’ve applied for three to five or more jobs. This doesn’t look good, as it looks like you either don’t know what you want to do or as if you don’t care who you work for.

Get specific 

Narrow down the specific types of industries and jobs you want to work in and research quality firms in these industries before you start applying for jobs. As hard as it may sound, few employers want to hire you simply because you want a paycheck. You’ve got to prove you really want the jobs you’re applying for. You’ve got to prove you can make the firms better by working those jobs.

But, first you have to get your foot in the door. If you don’t hear back from recruiters after you telephone or email them, look for recruiters on sites like LinkedIn. Make a connection before you jump right in and ask about a job you’ve already applied for. Some recruiters are also on Facebook and Twitter.

Consider attending career networking events employers you want to work for attend. This way, you can introduce yourself to recruiters and hiring managers, allowing them to place a face with a name. Of course, if you know someone who already works at a firm you want to get hired by, contact this person and ask them to put in a word for you. It could help you stand out in the vast sea of job applicants, increasing the likelihood that you’ll get a job you’ll appreciate for years.

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Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2013/03/premium-job-board-sued-for-pro.html (PBS)