Ask Vicki: Is applying for jobs online a complete waste of time and energy?
In this answer on Quora, Monster Career Expert Vicki Salemi examines how best to spend your time on the job hunt.
Each week, Monster’s career expert Vicki Salemi—a former recruiter who utilizes 15-plus years of experience in recruiting and human resources to empower job seekers—answers user questions on Quora. We’ll be republishing the answers here. If you have a question for Vicki, send it to socialmedia@monster.com.
Q. Is applying for jobs online a complete waste of time and energy?
A. Applying for jobs online is definitely not a waste of time and energy. As a recruiter, I’ve made plenty of hires from candidates who came in the door that way—they didn’t have connections, they didn’t have an internal contact making introductions. They simply sent their resume through the online application systems.
Regarding your last question, my answer is all of the above. Even while you are applying online, you should also take a multi-pronged approach to your job search by leaving no stone unturned. Network, build those relationships, become active on social media, attend industry events and conferences, reach out to your alma mater, join professional organizations, blog and more.
You may discover some activities yield more traction than others so then you can devote more time to that activity such as networking more than, say, blogging—depending on your industry. You might even find that engaging in these activities brings job opportunities to you vs. you seeking them out. And isn’t that the dream?
Read Vicki Salemi's answer to "Is applying for jobs online a complete waste of time and energy?" on Quora.
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