Targeting the Advertised Market
Most jobs are filled through the unadvertised market, so applying for jobs through the electronically advertised market should be done judiciously. Limit your time and efforts to match the likelihood of acquiring a job through this approach. Use these six criteria to determine whether or not you should apply for an advertised job:
- Does the job interest you?
- Do you have the skills to perform the job?
- Do your qualifications match at least 75% of the job’s requirements?
- Is the job located in a geographic area in which you are willing to work?
- Assuming that the salary falls within the competitive range for the position for which you are applying, are you willing to accept it?
- Is the organization one that you will fit into and are willing to work in?
Using these criteria, you will generally find two to three appropriate jobs per week via advertised positions posted on job sites in any one geographic location.
When conducting community workshops, I ask how many hours job seekers spend on the Internet searching for posted jobs. The most common response is 10 to 15 hours per week. Considering that less than 3% of those applying online secure employment from that source, this is far too much time to spend on online searches. Limit your search time to a maximum of two hours per week. You may want to set up an e-mail address exclusively for a job search. Many job sites sell their lists and you may be inundated with unrequested solicitations.