IT HAS been three weeks since you last saw that perfect job advertised online, and after carefully crafting your e-mail letter, attaching your resume and sending it off, you have been waiting.
And waiting.
Clicking on your inbox about 30 times a day has done nothing to ease your anxiety. All that come through are a few spam e-mail messages. And deafening silence.
Welcome to the online world of job hunting, where openings are aplenty - but where CVs more often than not get lost in a big, black, mysterious hole.
Online or 'digital' recruiting has been around for a decade, and has become increasingly popular with both employers and employees, notes recruitment firm Kelly Services.
'Online job applications in Singapore have certainly matured over the last few years with advancements in technology which make the process more efficient,' said the firm's senior vice-president for the Asia-Pacific, Mr Dhirendra Shantilal.
The use of social media networking sites for online job searches and recruitment has been on the rise, especially because of their growing popularity among the Generation Y group, he added.
Blogging and search engine marketing are now increasingly used by organisations and employers to search for talent.
But as the Internet opens up possibilities to anyone who has a computer, it has also made competition more intense.
Not to mention that amid Singapore's worst recession, more people are trawling the Internet to look for work on top of going to job fairs.
Some 12,400 jobs were lost in the second quarter in Singapore, double the number in the first quarter, government data showed recently.
But while the Internet has made it easier to look for jobs, it is not without pitfalls.
Recruiters or employers must be aware of how their online content - especially those generated on social media sites - can affect the perception of their employer brand, said Mr Shantilal.
Hence, employers should put emphasis on building and protecting their reputation and the credibility of their content - both online and offline.
Job seekers also need to do their homework and verify the legitimacy of a company or recruiter before completing an online application.
At the same time, they should also manage their personal information on social sites with care, especially if it has the potential to jeopardise their employability, said Mr Shantilal.
And hunting for a position online might not be the best way to get a job, said recruitment consultancy Robert Walters.
Employers who post a job vacancy online are not likely to get candidates who fit the opportunity, said the firm's Singapore's sales and marketing division consultant, Mr Mark Melo.
There are no tools to filter out irrelevant profiles, and in a market overflowing with candidates and talent, people will continue to send their CVs on these portals. This creates a lot more work for human resources teams as sifting through all the applications can be very time-consuming, he said.
So how do employers best use the Internet to their advantage?
Mr Melo feels they should post only online job vacancies at the junior level. 'You are still going to get the volume but at middle to senior levels, candidates are much more sensitive to having their CVs floating around in cyberspace,' he said.
Posting senior jobs on a mass platform means you are likely to receive good response, but more irrelevant CVs.
For job seekers: Be selective, said Mr Melo. 'It's not a volume game, so avoid sending your CVs to multiple companies and hope that one of them will pick it up.'
He suggested that job hunters focus on the roles that are relevant to their experience and skills set and tailor their CVs to highlight the areas which the company has emphasised as a critical part of the role.
The format of the CV is very important. It is essential to highlight one's biggest strengths and ensure that this section stands out.
'If an employer has to sift through your CV to find this information, chances are they will move on to the next candidate,' said Mr Melo.
One tip: Facts and figures are sharp and powerful - and can help paint a very tangible picture of your abilities.
This usually relates more to sales roles, but even outside such roles, you can try to be factual and give statistical examples of achievements.
Telling someone that you are an enthusiastic individual can be very subjective and is something you display during an interview, not on a CV, Mr Melo advised.
- The Straits Times
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