This is probably the first thing you will think of immediately after you finish higher learning. Locally we normally hear people talking of ‘dropping my CVs’ or ‘tarmac king’ and you may think this is only common among first time job seekers but wait till you get your first job, you will realize that this is common industry practice. Whether you have a job or don’t, this article is meant for you. While looking for a job you may want to give your CV to a friend or two who work in a specific company that you want to work for. So are you looking for a career or job opportunity? Is the career of your dreams eluding you?
Job Searching or Career Change?
Job Searching or Career Change?
Such a situation may arise if you are without a job at the moment. It could also be that circumstances at your present job are driving you mad, and you just can't wait for a career change. People in such stages of their career often have the notion that the more jobs they apply for, the better are their chances of success in their job search. But there is a catch: is it worth applying to employers who are not recruiting at the moment? It is a question that haunts many desperate job seekers.
How do you do your job hunting? Are you looking at the papers for vacancies? Are you looking at job sites for vacancies? Are you using career agencies? Are you dropping CVs in companies that do not even have vacancies advertised?Let me tell you that most companies do NOT advertise jobs often because they can advertise through the intranet for recruitment from within. What big employers do is to recruit graduates like clerks and then absorb them when vacancies arise. This has in itself advantages to HR managers and Cost Accountants of the company because their jobs and budgets are minimized. Let me give you a good example of CFC where if you drop your CV to the HR, they may give you an internship in departments like claims processing as you wait for a permanent in-take. This may not be the case for everybody but at least I give you an employer that I know who practices that. This can also be applicable to Chartis (former AIG) where I don’t know if they stopped.
Submission
In business practice there is something called targets. In job hunting we have the same, list all those employers that fall in the industry you are interested in. Get their physical addresses of all of them and do research about them. Gathering the right career information is of utmost importance before dropping off your resume to an organization that has not advertised their hiring plans. The first step to take in your job search is to know for sure whether they are really hiring or not. May be the organization is planning to recruit people, but is yet to advertise?
It is advisable to find out upfront if any positions are available before you actually submit your job application. If you enquire at a local business about recruitment and get a negative response, it may not be a bright idea to apply anyway, especially if you gave your name. It would be a wrong career planning move as it creates an impression that you are either inattentive, or you cannot take no for an answer.
Employers in some companies are actually required to retain all resumes and applications they receive for a year or so. But that does not necessarily translate into your resume being still in contention. It would be a good idea to follow up with the company just to ensure your career planning moves are still on track. The fact that many employers have to maintain job applications for a year is a nice thing for those posting resumes. This is because a company with a good number of applications in their files may fulfill their human resources requirement just by leafing through the accumulated resumes. This way they don't have to advertise that they intend to hire, or pay for professional recruitment services.
The downside of the whole exercise is the time lag between your application and the company's recruitment need. If your forced application is actively considered say six months later, chances are that it is a bit too late for your career advancement because you may have already got a job. If this is the scenario, the whole process of applying to organizations that are not hiring right now becomes pointless.
In a nutshell, career development through forced application requires a fine balancing act between go-getting and caution. You need to handle any rejection with the utmost tact. If you are told that the company is not recruiting now or in the near future, it is best to move on to greener pastures. Insisting that a prospective employer retains your resume for future reference when they are apparently not interested will only give you a bad name.
Your job search endeavors should by no means end up harming your overall career planning. It is ultimately your decision whether or not to apply to a company that isn't hiring at present, and you need to use that discretion well.
It is advisable to find out upfront if any positions are available before you actually submit your job application. If you enquire at a local business about recruitment and get a negative response, it may not be a bright idea to apply anyway, especially if you gave your name. It would be a wrong career planning move as it creates an impression that you are either inattentive, or you cannot take no for an answer.
Employers in some companies are actually required to retain all resumes and applications they receive for a year or so. But that does not necessarily translate into your resume being still in contention. It would be a good idea to follow up with the company just to ensure your career planning moves are still on track. The fact that many employers have to maintain job applications for a year is a nice thing for those posting resumes. This is because a company with a good number of applications in their files may fulfill their human resources requirement just by leafing through the accumulated resumes. This way they don't have to advertise that they intend to hire, or pay for professional recruitment services.
The downside of the whole exercise is the time lag between your application and the company's recruitment need. If your forced application is actively considered say six months later, chances are that it is a bit too late for your career advancement because you may have already got a job. If this is the scenario, the whole process of applying to organizations that are not hiring right now becomes pointless.
In a nutshell, career development through forced application requires a fine balancing act between go-getting and caution. You need to handle any rejection with the utmost tact. If you are told that the company is not recruiting now or in the near future, it is best to move on to greener pastures. Insisting that a prospective employer retains your resume for future reference when they are apparently not interested will only give you a bad name.
Your job search endeavors should by no means end up harming your overall career planning. It is ultimately your decision whether or not to apply to a company that isn't hiring at present, and you need to use that discretion well.
All said and done, we at HCC wish you a good job hunting exercise.
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