Where Do You Invest Your Time During Job Search?

It seems logical that if you are looking for a new job, you head to the job boards- this is where employers post all their jobs, right? Wrong. Companies use different strategies to source new employees and job boards play a small part in hiring. In order for you to land an interview and get hired, you’ll want invest your time in activities that employers say produce the greatest number of hires.

One way to learn where companies have had luck sourcing new employees is SilkRoad ’s annual survey. This 2014 report analyzed data from companies using the SilkRoad OpenHire applicant tracking system. It sheds some light on successful sourcing methods with data from 1,140 companies, who ranged in size from as few as 100 employees to large employers.

According to SilkRoad, internal sources (company recruiters, company career sites, and employee referrals/current employees) produced more hires (59%), compared to external sources (job search engines, job boards, print advertising; TV/Radio advertising, job fairs, campus recruiting, and agencies) with slightly less hires (41%).

Spend 60+ Percent of Your Time Doing These Things

Focus your activities and actions on the high-yield internal sources by using some of these tips to help you get found and stand out.

• Connect with company recruiters on LinkedIn to get on their radar.
• Use the on your resume and on-line profiles.
• Identify potential employers and monitor their company career sites.
• Contact people who work inside companies to keep abreast of potential opportunities.
• Before you apply, reach out to employees inside the hiring company and ask for a referral.

Invest Your Time Wisely On-Line

If you haven’t already, you can radically reduce the amount of time you spend attending job fairs and looking for jobs in newspapers and trade publications. These are low-yield sources for employers. Employers have the most success hiring new hires on-line. SilkRoad reports that on-line outlets account for 73% of jobs filled.

Which on-line sites are worth your attention? Indeed.com and CareerBuilder produced the greatest number of new hires. Indeed is clearly the top performer with 23% of hires versus CareerBuilder at 9%. Go ahead, cover your bases and use both sites to search for jobs and post your resume.

Be smart about what you post and share on-line. Here are some precautions:

• Never share your social security number or other personal information to unknown entities.
• Remove your mailing address from the resume you post on-line. Include the city and state or metro area instead.
• You may want to create a separate, professional email address for your job search communication.
• If you are on social networks, treat every status update as if it could be the headlines in a major newspaper.
• Use long or complex passwords for on-line accounts and don’t use the same one for every site.

A Word About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Before you begin filling out any on-line application, thoroughly review the job posting so you understand the full scope of requirements.

Next, take your time completing each online application to ensure you’ve listed the required skills, education and details about your work history. The purpose of an ATS is to filter out unqualified candidates and make it easier for Human Resources to develop a short-list of the most qualified candidates. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are important too. As the saying goes, garbage in garbage out.

Read and follow the directions carefully. For example, don’t submit at pdf version of your resume if the directions request a Word version. Candidates who don’t follow directions run the risk of being rejected.

You can read more about beating the ATS robots by viewing this infographic by HireRight.

Online Resources Are Only Part of Solution

It is easy to get lured into the on-line job search vortex. Job boards can be valuable sources of information, but if you really want to stand out, you’ll want to nurture relationships in-person. Instead of hiding behind your computer, reach out and talk with people face-to-face. You can try some of these tips:

• Invite one or more of your past colleagues for a mini-reunion over coffee or after hours drinks.
• Check in with a past manager to see what’s new
• Celebrate with people in your network who have changed jobs or have work anniversaries. Just monitor your LinkedIn home feed for news and updates.
• Invite people in your network to attend professional association meetings or other networking events.

*Image credit: All three graphics are from SilkRoad's 2014 Sources of Hire Report.

This post originally appeared on US News & World Report

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