E-Recruitment
15 June 2010
Read by 1792 persons
E-Recruitment
Before you start…
Having an email address
• Not having a personal email address is like sending a letter without specifying your contact details! This address will be useful in your approach, both for communicating with recruiters and for developing a network.
• Many websites offer to create a free email address, accessible from any computer connected to the Internet: La Poste, Yahoo.fr, Hotmail and many others.
Having a finalized resume
• Content: you can use validated resume examples. Don't forget that most sites will ask you to explain your professional project and your main skills in a few lines. Write a catchy hook and validate the entire resume.
• Form: if your resume has an enriched layout (table, color, images…), you would save time by making a copy in a lighter format, which will allow you to paste your resume on some sites.
• Generally, you should expect that the recipient will probably have a different hardware or software configuration than you. Favor simplicity and readability and reserve graphically elaborate resumes for paper applications where you control all the parameters.
Distributing my resume on the Internet
The aim is to increase your visibility with recruiters. More and more of them are looking for the perfect candidate this way, which is much cheaper than traditional methods.
To save time, decide to spend one day identifying relevant sites based on your profile to enter your resume, then return each month to update it. A resume posted online that is not updated is a waste of time. Remember that this is only one way to find a job and that networking remains statistically more productive.
Identifying the relevant sites for me
More than 400 sites offer the possibility of entering a resume! To avoid wasting time entering your resume on unnecessary sites, here are a few tips:
• First test the sites on their job offers. If several offers match you, it means that recruiters use this site to find people of your profile.
• You may also know the professional associations or specialized press in your sector or profession. Try to identify their websites: some have a job section that is sometimes not very rich but very targeted.
Entering my resume
Keep in mind that you don't have control over the layout of your resume, which is imposed by the websites. There are two categories of sites:
• Simple form sites: you have a few fields to fill in, but almost all of the resume can be copied from your Word file, avoiding retyping. Be careful, the search on your resume will be done by keywords. Make sure that this resume includes all the keywords that a recruiter might use to search for your profile.
Ex.: on a marketing director's resume, you should be able to find "marketing manager".
• Dropdown menu sites: you can hardly use your Word resume. You must choose from pre-established lists what corresponds to your job, your sector, your training… You will need half an hour to an hour to complete the resume submission, but most sites now work this way.
Some sites offer to hide your name and contact details: avoid this option as it discourages recruiters by wasting their time.
Managing your online resumes
When a recruiter searches a resume database, the most recent ones are displayed. A resume entered 3 months ago is therefore unlikely to be selected. In addition, many sites automatically delete old resumes.
The solution: return every 15 days to the sites where you entered your resume: a minor modification (a space…) is enough to reactivate it. If you are well organized, it's a matter of half an hour per month. To manage your access codes to the different recruitment sites…
Finding offers on the Internet
Search techniques
The operation is more complex than it seems and varies depending on the sites. Some use keywords, others a selection of criteria (function, activity, geography, salary…), others still combine the two.
• Develop a list of keywords corresponding to the offers in your market. Don't just think about the words in your resume, but try to identify the terms used by recruiters by comparing several offers that match your profile.
• Use the "funnel technique": start broad and then narrow down if you get too many irrelevant offers. Restricting the search too much from the start can deprive you of real opportunities because the recruiter will have used a different wording. After launching a search, you get a list of results. The titles allow you to quickly identify the relevant offers.
How often should you consult job sites?
Your email should be checked at least once a day. The Internet is a fast and reactive medium, which often accelerates the preliminary phase of recruitment.
For consulting job sites, the good average is once or twice a week. For example, do it at the end of the week to prepare your answers during the weekend. Many sites offer the possibility of being alerted by email to offers matching your profile. Feel free to use this feature to save time.
Responding to an offer by email
One rule to remember: put yourself in the place of the recipient who receives dozens of applications per day and appreciates those that respect certain practices:
• Recipient: always check the recipient's email address.
• Bcc: to keep track of your application, you can enter your address in bcc. You will thus receive a copy of the message that you can print and file.
• Subject: be very precise. Put the reference number and the origin of the offer if you are responding to an offer. Due to the proliferation of viruses, some messages from unknown sources are deleted without being opened.
• Attached file: Be sure to name your resume with your name, for example "firstnamelastname.doc". Avoid "cv.doc" (recruiters receive 50 resumes per day named CV.doc) or worse "Cvmodifiedlastversionbeforethenext.doc".
Unless specified in the job offer, do not insert a scanned photo in your resume.
Avoid the cover letter as an attachment, unless it is in the same file as the resume. The recruiter would have to open 2 files instead of one.
• Body of the message: write a real cover letter, with as much care if not more than in paper format. If you copy-paste an existing cover letter, systematically reread it twice. Be courteous and don't let yourself be carried away by the familiarity that is often used when sending an email to a friend. Avoid the message limited to "Please find attached my resume".
Targeting companies
Make a list of 50 organizations
When preparing your action plan, you must determine the type of companies you will prospect. Your consultant can help you determine the main criteria that will help you establish a file, which you will use in particular via your network. These criteria are, for example: geography (city, department, region, country); size (staff, turnover), sector of activity, etc.
• Databases
Coface SCRL allows for multi-criteria sorting, as does societe.com. Unfortunately, advanced searches from Kompass or Dun&Bradstreet providers are paid…
• Company rankings
They are useful mainly for identifying the main players in a sector of activity or a region. They are accessible on the websites of major French weeklies: L'Entreprise and l'Expansion
• Professional communities
These are sources specialized by profession or sector of activity. Trade shows (and associated catalogs) help identify the players in a sector. Professional federations very often have well-maintained websites or documentation centers. Try to consult the members' directory (paper or electronic). To identify a trade show or a professional federation, you can use the Pages Pro.
Get information about these companies
• Before you start, make a list of the necessary and sufficient information about the target company. You don't need as much information before a spontaneous application or a network interview as before a recruitment interview.
• Finding information is good. Exploiting it is better! Once the information has been gathered, you must be able to specify your positioning in relation to the company's strategy. If you identify a gap in the target company, you will be able to highlight the skills that make you the best candidate.
Published May 30, 2010
Posted online June 15, 2010
advice
Before you start…
Having an email address
• Not having a personal email address is like sending a letter without specifying your contact details! This address will be useful in your approach, both for communicating with recruiters and for developing a network.
• Many websites offer to create a free email address, accessible from any computer connected to the Internet: La Poste, Yahoo.fr, Hotmail and many others.
Having a finalized resume
• Content: you can use validated resume examples. Don't forget that most sites will ask you to explain your professional project and your main skills in a few lines. Write a catchy hook and validate the entire resume.
• Form: if your resume has an enriched layout (table, color, images…), you would save time by making a copy in a lighter format, which will allow you to paste your resume on some sites.
• Generally, you should expect that the recipient will probably have a different hardware or software configuration than you. Favor simplicity and readability and reserve graphically elaborate resumes for paper applications where you control all the parameters.
Distributing my resume on the Internet
The aim is to increase your visibility with recruiters. More and more of them are looking for the perfect candidate this way, which is much cheaper than traditional methods.
To save time, decide to spend one day identifying relevant sites based on your profile to enter your resume, then return each month to update it. A resume posted online that is not updated is a waste of time. Remember that this is only one way to find a job and that networking remains statistically more productive.
Identifying the relevant sites for me
More than 400 sites offer the possibility of entering a resume! To avoid wasting time entering your resume on unnecessary sites, here are a few tips:
• First test the sites on their job offers. If several offers match you, it means that recruiters use this site to find people of your profile.
• You may also know the professional associations or specialized press in your sector or profession. Try to identify their websites: some have a job section that is sometimes not very rich but very targeted.
Entering my resume
Keep in mind that you don't have control over the layout of your resume, which is imposed by the websites. There are two categories of sites:
• Simple form sites: you have a few fields to fill in, but almost all of the resume can be copied from your Word file, avoiding retyping. Be careful, the search on your resume will be done by keywords. Make sure that this resume includes all the keywords that a recruiter might use to search for your profile.
Ex.: on a marketing director's resume, you should be able to find "marketing manager".
• Dropdown menu sites: you can hardly use your Word resume. You must choose from pre-established lists what corresponds to your job, your sector, your training… You will need half an hour to an hour to complete the resume submission, but most sites now work this way.
Some sites offer to hide your name and contact details: avoid this option as it discourages recruiters by wasting their time.
Managing your online resumes
When a recruiter searches a resume database, the most recent ones are displayed. A resume entered 3 months ago is therefore unlikely to be selected. In addition, many sites automatically delete old resumes.
The solution: return every 15 days to the sites where you entered your resume: a minor modification (a space…) is enough to reactivate it. If you are well organized, it's a matter of half an hour per month. To manage your access codes to the different recruitment sites…
Finding offers on the Internet
Search techniques
The operation is more complex than it seems and varies depending on the sites. Some use keywords, others a selection of criteria (function, activity, geography, salary…), others still combine the two.
• Develop a list of keywords corresponding to the offers in your market. Don't just think about the words in your resume, but try to identify the terms used by recruiters by comparing several offers that match your profile.
• Use the "funnel technique": start broad and then narrow down if you get too many irrelevant offers. Restricting the search too much from the start can deprive you of real opportunities because the recruiter will have used a different wording. After launching a search, you get a list of results. The titles allow you to quickly identify the relevant offers.
How often should you consult job sites?
Your email should be checked at least once a day. The Internet is a fast and reactive medium, which often accelerates the preliminary phase of recruitment.
For consulting job sites, the good average is once or twice a week. For example, do it at the end of the week to prepare your answers during the weekend. Many sites offer the possibility of being alerted by email to offers matching your profile. Feel free to use this feature to save time.
Responding to an offer by email
One rule to remember: put yourself in the place of the recipient who receives dozens of applications per day and appreciates those that respect certain practices:
• Recipient: always check the recipient's email address.
• Bcc: to keep track of your application, you can enter your address in bcc. You will thus receive a copy of the message that you can print and file.
• Subject: be very precise. Put the reference number and the origin of the offer if you are responding to an offer. Due to the proliferation of viruses, some messages from unknown sources are deleted without being opened.
• Attached file: Be sure to name your resume with your name, for example "firstnamelastname.doc". Avoid "cv.doc" (recruiters receive 50 resumes per day named CV.doc) or worse "Cvmodifiedlastversionbeforethenext.doc".
Unless specified in the job offer, do not insert a scanned photo in your resume.
Avoid the cover letter as an attachment, unless it is in the same file as the resume. The recruiter would have to open 2 files instead of one.
• Body of the message: write a real cover letter, with as much care if not more than in paper format. If you copy-paste an existing cover letter, systematically reread it twice. Be courteous and don't let yourself be carried away by the familiarity that is often used when sending an email to a friend. Avoid the message limited to "Please find attached my resume".
Targeting companies
Make a list of 50 organizations
When preparing your action plan, you must determine the type of companies you will prospect. Your consultant can help you determine the main criteria that will help you establish a file, which you will use in particular via your network. These criteria are, for example: geography (city, department, region, country); size (staff, turnover), sector of activity, etc.
• Databases
Coface SCRL allows for multi-criteria sorting, as does societe.com. Unfortunately, advanced searches from Kompass or Dun&Bradstreet providers are paid…
• Company rankings
They are useful mainly for identifying the main players in a sector of activity or a region. They are accessible on the websites of major French weeklies: L'Entreprise and l'Expansion
• Professional communities
These are sources specialized by profession or sector of activity. Trade shows (and associated catalogs) help identify the players in a sector. Professional federations very often have well-maintained websites or documentation centers. Try to consult the members' directory (paper or electronic). To identify a trade show or a professional federation, you can use the Pages Pro.
Get information about these companies
• Before you start, make a list of the necessary and sufficient information about the target company. You don't need as much information before a spontaneous application or a network interview as before a recruitment interview.
• Finding information is good. Exploiting it is better! Once the information has been gathered, you must be able to specify your positioning in relation to the company's strategy. If you identify a gap in the target company, you will be able to highlight the skills that make you the best candidate.
Published May 30, 2010
Posted online June 15, 2010
advice
