The Reality of Job Postings

If you are a jobhunter focused on internet job postings, you might be feeling frustrated by the lack of "deal flow" -- i.e., responses, interviews, offers.  Here's why.  Scope this infographic from The Wall Street Journal in a story today on Your Resume vs. Oblivion. 

Thus, when outplacement firms and campus career office expound the gospel of personal relationships and networking as a means to finding a new opportunity, it is a message to heed!  Get in there and sell yourself to a company before a position is formalized and posted to the world!

In a down market, the glut of resumes submitted for jobs posted accelerates. It doesn't mean that all applicants are 100% qualified for the job. But it means the selection process becomes cumbersome. And, with automation as a solution on the hiring side, the process also becomes less personal.


Large companies with significant talent needs at the non-executive level have built hiring machines that rival military invasions.  They have invested millions in systems that rely on sorting and key word searches.  They have leverage in negotiating for better pricing to post jobs in various on-line venues and spider consolidaters, not to mention their own websites.

Entrepreneurs and middle market companies have a greater challenge when going to market for talent.  They typically have no dedicated HR resource with up-to-date hiring savvy and budgetary prowess.  It is not cost-effective to do so when you are hiring in fewer numbers. 

Yet a wrong hire in a smaller company has a bigger impact.  The downturn has a double-edge impact.  Just because there is an abundance of talent doesn't mean that it's easy to find The Perfect Fit.
Front-end targeting, planning and messaging will dramatically and favorably influence the result -- whether
the hiring decisionmaker uses a search firm or takes the do-it-yourself path. 

Who can help smaller enterprises navigate?  Watch for a new breed of expert:  The Talent Concierge. 

Kind of a middleware service offering.  Less investment/commitment than a full premium-priced retained search.  Empowering improved results from lower-cost contingency firms who operate on speed and volume -- by providing specific input/criteria/messaging that is customized for you.  Or enabling low-cost/no-cost do-it-yourself, with a spin of strategy and savvy.