Q. Many large media outlets, like
The Associated Press and the Dow Jones Co., have set up career Web sites where job hunters can create resumes and "apply" for jobs. These sites even claim they will match job openings with your profile and notify you so you can apply.
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To me, posting resumes and clips on these sites feels like sending them into the abyss. Yet ostensibly, companies establish such elaborate sites because they actually want to use them to find recruits. The job ads on these sites also make it very difficult to determine who the proper editor might be to send a paper resume to if one desired to skirt the recruiting site.
Is there any chance my resume will get noticed at all through these types of sites, or are they just a waste of time?
Thanks,
Matt
A. It all depends on how well they are managing the applications. And that has always been the case. Online forms and other tools help companies manage information, but it all comes down to human attention and judgment. Some online sites are set up to screen away candidates, based on how they answer a few key questions in the form.
Certainly, if I really wanted the job, I could never be content with filling out a Web form and then waiting for my phone to ring.
One problem with a slick online form is that it looks just as interested in you during a hiring freeze as it does when there are openings.
I would use the online counters that media companies have created, but I would be darn sure to complement the high-tech with some good, old-fashioned high-touch.
Coming Monday: He's worried, despite five internships, that he may not get the job he wants as a pure-play sportswriter. It's time to get over that.
