查看完整版本: High-volume applications might spell doom for candidates

High-volume applications might spell doom for candidates

There are so many great metaphors for a “high-volume” approach to doing things: The Shotgun approach, throw it at the wall and see what sticks, casting a wide net. However, they all kind of suggest a shrugging acceptance of whatever results you happen to get, as if “Well, at least I got [i]some[/i] response” is a good way to be successful.
:I5[ oHZ[C Consider high-volume applications, for instance. We’ve written here before about how the efficiency of the interwebs creates job discovery headaches for [url=http://www.itzbigblog.com/655/too-much-data-not-enough-information-means-big-trouble-for-sourcing/][b][color=#777795]recruiters/employers[/color][/b][/url] and [url=http://www.itzbigblog.com/606/a-brief-history-of-recruiting-job-boards/][b][color=#777795]candidates[/color][/b][/url] alike. The sheer speed and volume with which resumes can be sent, applications filled out and contacts - well - contacted means that quality talent sometimes got lost in the crowd. A recent post on Jason Warner’s excellent blog, [url=http://meritocracy.typepad.com/meritocracy/2007/05/job_seeking_in_.html][b][color=#777795]Meritocracy[/color][/b][/url], reminded us that the problem needs to be brought back under the scrutiny of candidates if they ever want to find a great job.
s3M*c,`9zxb2Q Warner, a head of staffing in one of Google’s many branches, laments the fact that the “old ways” of applying for jobs aren’t necessarily any better than the “new ways” since the new ways have created their own set of unique challenges. Instead of mailing a few, targeted resumes; making a handful of cold calls or dropping in on a specific contact (as they once might have), candidates now flood the digital inboxes of everyone and anyone out there who might have an opportunity for them. Warner says that:
'C2i}T'i [indent]it is now so easy to apply for a job that more people apply for many more jobs, which means that recruiting teams at companies across the world now have to review a significantly increased volume of unsuitable resumes, which creates monumental inefficiency in the overall system.
N UEfj%G2y [/indent]Without a method for accurately matching truly qualified candidates with opportunities, recruiters, HR groups and traditional job boards are letting lots of talent slip through the cracks. It’s not their fault, exactly; they’re just at the mercy of an incredible volume of applications.O
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Since candidates send out so many resumes and applications, they rarely have the time to tailor those documents to the specific needs of the business, do [url=http://www.itzbigblog.com/625/candidates-why-your-next-interview-will-go-your-way/][b][color=#777795]in-depth research[/color][/b][/url] or follow up as well as they should. Basically, they’re unable to construct what Harry Joiner calls a [i]central selling theme[/i], “one simple, relevant theme surrounding WHY a candidate is the best fit for the organization” (from [url=http://www.marketingheadhunter.com/executive_search/2007/05/robert_de_niro_.html%27%20target=][b][color=#777795]Marketing Headhunter[/color][/b][/url]). Without that focus (which can’t happen if a candidate is just blasting resumes out there by the handful), there’s very little chance that [url=http://www.itzbig.com/blog_main.html][b][color=#777795]any accurate matching[/color][/b][/url] between talent and need, or what we call [i]quality career connections[/i], will occur.