Job Search – Not being Out-of-Date

When you look out-of-date, employers and recruiters assume that you are out-of-date. This hurts you and your job search because employers do NOT want to hire someone who is out-of-date.  

Effective job search methods have changed a great deal, particularly since 2010. The widespread use of search engines and social media has impacted recruiting methods used by employers. In addition, employers have become increasingly dependent on applicant tracking systems (“ATS”) for storage and retrieval of resumes and applications.

If you don’t understand how this “new system” works, you look much less desirable to most employers – in need of training or other support that employers don’t want to provide and don’t need to provide when they can find people who do not need that training.

Five Major Signs You Are Out-of-Date

1. Being a “missing person”!

I know several older job seekers who are proud to be invisible in Google.

2. Using the same work-history resume for every job.

We are long past the days when a one-size-fits-all resume, listing every job in the work history, worked effectively.

3. Not having an effective online presence, like a LinkedIn and/or Google Plus Profile.

In their online searches, when employers find something bad related to your name, even if the bad stuff is about someone else with the same name, your application (or resume) may be rejected unless positive “social proof” about the real you is also visible.

4. Not leveraging the power of the Internet to prepare for interviews.

Walking into an interview without doing extensive research about the employer is a recipe for disaster.

5. Ignoring the power of the Internet to connect with old friends and former colleagues.

People often hire someone they already know, at least a little. Hiring a stranger, even one with a great resume, can be an expensive disaster for an employer.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. See how to catch up @ Avoid These 5 Ways You Look Out-Of-Date In Your Job Search | Susan P. Joyce.