Sunday, July 23, 2006

On Job Search and Follow Up

From the Dallas Morning News JobCenter, Sunday, July 23, 2006 (Joyce Lain Kennedy):

"I noticed you say it's important to follow up after you send in a resume. Well, it's never gotten me anywhere. After calling twice, I figure the job is filled and I'm wasting my time or becoming a nuisance. How many times should I follow up?"

Dallas job placement "hands on" expert Tony Beshara says he doesn't give up on a job prospect until he's made 15 tries over about two months. Mr. Beshara, who wrote "The Job Search Solution: The Ultimate System for Finding a Great Job Now", says it's a mistake to underestimate the hiring cycle time.

"Most people, even the most experienced employers, think the hiring cycle is
about 30 to 45 days from the time they need to hire someone to the actual
hiring. The average is more like 90 to 120 days."

A number of things can occur that lengthen the process. Beshara explains,

"The first choice candidate doesn't get the job, employers change their
priorities, hiring managers go on vacation, management freezes budgets - any
number of things can delay the hiring action."

The point, Beshara says, is that job seekers need to follow up more often and for a longer time period...because the fifth or sixth call, seven or eight weeks later, they may hear: "You know, we were just opening the interviewing up again."

A final Beshara tip: Keep careful records so you don't forget to call back (a free online job campaign record-keeping program: jibberjobber).

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile Recruiting

technorati tags: job search, job interview, interview follow-up, interview etiquette, jibberjobber



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