Last night I bought the book "The Houston JobBank"--now that I know the employers in the area, is it
better to get on their websites and send resumes via their online submission forms or email or send in hard copies?
Thanks for all your help!
From: Angela Strickland
ANSWER FROM BRIAN KRUEGER:
Good question. My recommendation depends on the basis under which you are contacting the company.
If you are contacting the company regarding a specific job posting, such as
one posted here at CollegeGrad.com, it is best to respond directly through the contact
method given in the job posting. That way your information will be tracked to the specific job that you are qualified for
and have an interest in.
However, for a general submission to a company with no specific job posting in mind, it's best to submit your resume
via the online submission form at a company's Web site, since that will likely be closest to their internal applicant
tracking system (ATS).
This will give you the highest probability of your information being entered correctly into their system.
However, it also runs the risk of not being tracked against a specific job you may be interested in,
so I would always favor response to the job posting first (even if it is at a job board).
But for a general submission, it's best to enter directly at their site.
E-mail would be second choice (since it's also digital and should translate better than hard copy) if no online
submission form is available.
It is typically not a good idea to respond to a job posting you are not qualified for, just to get your resume
to a particular employer.
You may be ruled out as a candidate simply because you do not match the requirements of the position, at which point you
may not get further internal consideration.
If you see a job posting at our site for a company you have an interest in, click through on the link to the company
Web site and submit your qualifications there. This will typically increase your odds of initial review and proper storage
in their ATS.
However, that does not relinquish you from the requirement to follow up directly via phone on each submission.
Follow the steps listed at CollegeGrad.com for direct phone follow up to greatly increase your chances for getting the interview.
Brian Krueger
Author of College Grad Job Hunter
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