Some will say that the job search is a game of numbers – the more ads you see and resumes you send, the better chances of landing a job. Others will say that this approach is like a ’shotgun’ (not particularlly acurate, but hits a broad target). These folks would argue that the ‘rifle’ approach is better – know exactly what you want then look only for that ‘perfect’ match. With this approach there is little wasted effort in ’spraying’ your resume all over the internet.
Unfortunately, the ‘rifle’ folks are generally wrong. Why? Because the internet has brought job seekers (and people looking for work) massive exposure to open positions. The effort to send a resume to 5 companies is not much more than sending it to 5,000. So, use the ‘law of large numbers’ and hit as many as are relevant. That last word is important. Relevant – as in ‘a basic fit’ for your skills and desires. This does NOT say ’spam’ your resume to every listing that matches any keyword, but hitting all the opportunities that ‘are in your sweet spot’ is better than relying on a few and tayloring your resume to specific opportunity and hoping that whoever is screening the resumes sees the clear differentaition between your resume and the rest of the pile. For most people, the chances of this making a difference are next to nil. In general, your resume is being scanned for about 15 seconds. So changing your hobbies to the hobbies of the company’s CEO or adding something ‘pithy and relevant’ to your cover-letter is no substitution for writing a good, but generic resume or cover letter.
