Back when a telephone consisted of a receiver and a cradle; back when the only way to correct a mistake on your school paper was with a mysterious substance called “white-out”; back when people wrote letters out longhand and put them in the post: at some point your parents were probably out looking for work.
It was an entirely different process though. Paper resumes flooded company mailboxes and someone had to read through all that correspondence, sort it, and act on it. Since the application process was so grueling and pre-hire “facetime” was so short, it was hard to really get a handle on who was hiring you. It was just as hard for your employer to have any idea who you were, even as they hired you on full-time. There was no way on earth to tell whether your new office would be full of cool new friends or crazy people. Your boss would be a smiling black box until you got inside the culture to find out if he was a potential mentor or a megalomaniac.
And if you hated it there, it might take years to get out. There would be more resumes, more waiting for acknowledgment that you applied at all; and more hit-or-miss interviews if you ever got even one. Not so long ago you’d search the classified ads in the newspaper every day, but there was no “search” function; and no way to sort through multiple days’ offerings – unless you kept buying and storing newspapers. Even if you did find an opportunity that way, it was pretty likely you were missing a hundred more.
But job hunting is nothing like it used to be, and it’s going to continue to change. Since email has blossomed and job boards are common, it’s much easier to make that initial contact and show your interest. But in the future we can expect much better aggregators that will display every position open from all possible sources, so we aren’t missing a single opportunity.
Job aggregators are poised to get “smarter.” Better filters on job sites will drill down even more precisely to find a better match and most likely a better job for you. Instead of filtering results simply by job title and location, you might be able to filter by company size, work perks ( like on-site daycare), or years of experience required.
And once we find those opportunities, there is much more information available about them than there used to be. Data sites like Salary Wizard can give you an estimate of the kind of offer you could expect. You can research the neighborhood at your new location, and sometimes even do a little Google snooping to find out if anyone out there is happy or unhappy at that company. There are even sites cropping up like WetFeet.com, that highlight the culture of a company using testimonials of employees working there.
How to land a job interview
Sites like LinkedIn are handy for developing contacts, but they’re also a brilliant way to find people who might have the inside scoop on what it’s really like to work for your potential employer. It was hard to locate these people before the days of social media unless you somehow got your hands on a company directory. In fact, calling companies and trying to get important names out of receptionists used to be part of a headhunter’s job. Now it’s pretty likely you can find important names and contacts yourself.
“Networking,” which used to mean hours of glad handing at professional association functions, can be more effective and discreet. Career professionals say that one of the most effective ways to land a job is to leverage your social connections for introductions, and to work your way “in” to companies. Your connections can make you a known entity to people inside the company before you ever ask for an interview.
In a nutshell: You and your employer are getting more, and better, information about each other before you begin a relationship.
For example: Set up a Twitter feed about your job hunt and credentials and make them available through your blog site or Facebook page. Add connections in LinkedIn and work them creatively.
Result? A rich, detailed snapshot of you as a candidate that the company’s recruiter or a hiring manager can see instantly, with the push of a button. This is a snapshot that was developed over time in multiple ways, unlike a reference or a resume. It’s much better than a stilted half-hour interview with canned questions from Human Resources – not just for the employer, but for you.
And in the meantime, you can do your due diligence; making contacts, sizing up the culture, getting insider information and making your own decision about whether this company is the right place for you. That’s the best news about next-generation job hunting: There’s a better chance than ever that you and your employer will be a good match.
Frankie Eybsen is an education and career blogger. He is currently helping students find computer colleges to assist them in planning for their future.