If you’re currently either out of work and looking, or if there’s a particular organization you want to work for, consider spying on their career site located within the organization’s website. Let me explain. You are on the organization’s website, and you click the link to their employment page. Locate the career opportunities they have listed there. Next, pick any ‘old job with them and click on the opportunity. Here’s where you learn MORE! When you view the opening online via the ATS (that’s recruiter talk for Applicant Tracking System), you are going to click “Apply”.
Next, they probably ask you to create an account (super spies take the time to do this). After doing so, look for the drop down menu where they ask you how you heard about the opening. There will be numerous choices (internet, career fair, etc.).
You’ve now gotten your first important clue about the organization. Say you pick career fair – chances are there is another drop down menu that appears; this one lists all the various job fairs that the employer participates in. What you have discovered is WHERE to meet recruiters for this organization – a helpful piece of information to get some face time with the employer.
Apply this method to all their drop down menus, and you’ve now learned some other valuable information such as the colleges they recruit from (more face-to face), the websites they advertise their jobs on (they might not list every job on every website), any print media they announce their openings in, professional organizations they target (another great opportunity to NETWORK), the social media outlets they utilize (twitter, facebook, GovLoop), etc., etc.
So, there you have it – all the tools for a great start needed for you to become a job search super spy!
I probably never would have thought to do this until reading this post. I definitely see the benefit though as submitting a resume through an online application is like throwing it into a blackhole. I like your emphasis on maximizing all the other, usually more fruitful opportunities that are out there.
The information that you learn this way, also provides you with the knowledge of the types of employees they are typically seeking (ex. do they post their jobs on a military job board? – suggests they value veterans in their organization).
Another quick tip: Take notice at the bottom of the company’s recruitment webpage. It might say something like “powered by Taleo” (or another company). If it does, search for other companies that use the Taleo system on the internet. This will lead you to other companies who have job openings in your field who (may or) may not be advertising their vacancies on job boards – but now you will know about them!
Ex:
All real interesting ideas. I will tell my husband to try them all out. Thnx.