Why is it so hard to land a job through online job portals?

Just about everyone who’s been in the job market has experienced the frustration of sending out resumes but getting few, if any, responses.

If you are wondering whether your application traveled into a black hole, you have plenty of company.

Before reading too much into the lack of responses, take a look at these common reasons for employer and recruiter silence – along with ways to circumvent the black hole:

1)   Anticipate facing a massive amount of competition when applying to ads.

Painful as it is to admit, hundreds to thousands of career inquiries pour into employer job portals every week (a phenomenon common since the dawn of the economic meltdown). The resulting volume has forced many employers to turn to automatic resume screening systems (also called Applicant Tracking Systems or ATS) to help mitigate the flood.

To avoid the waiting game, always follow up with an actual person to ensure your resume was received. Start by identifying the hiring manager (1-2 levels up from the target position) and send this person a LinkedIn note or email. Or, if LinkedIn shows a name of an HR person, try calling them to inquire about your application.

2)   Realize it’s the system, not you. 

Even when you follow up with employers, they may not have the staff or technology in place to respond to your query.

Also, companies sometimes post jobs for which they have already identified the prime candidate, and simply collect resumes for pending opportunities.

At Key Corporate Services, we help candidates every day who’ve grown weary of pursuing jobs through the online portals.

If you have experience in any of the areas we represent, give us a call.  Our specialists are committed to developing a personal relationship with you, working together in the search for that perfect job.

From The Key Corporate Services Blog Team