SubscribeThe Washington Post Mega Jobs section is coming out this Sunday. And, with so many people out of work, I’m sure they’ll have lots of readers. But there is a belief in the career industry and elsewhere that by the time an ad appears in the paper, the job is often already off the table. Ads are often posted as a formality or requirement, even as positions are being filled from within or candidates are already being vetted through internal and other sources.
So, what’s the point of the help wanted ads? Well, the above may be true for some industries and not for others. They key is to know your industry and how people are hired. Are they being sought coming right out of college, MBA programs or training schools? Are they typically filled from within? Filled by recruiters? Fed through industry associations? Get connected with people in your field and organizations of interest to get the inside scoop, especially as relates to how the game may have changed in this new economy. Informational interviews are a really useful way to get valuable information to help inform decisions.
Even if jobs in your industry aren’t typically filled through the want ads, they still serve a useful purpose. For those looking for a job, one can get a sense of what types of positions are available, what job titles are being used, what kinds of skills are being sought and what the minimum degree requirements are. A job seeker can look for trends in the industry based on the most popular and least popular positions listed. And, all of this information can be used in creating more targeted resumes and cover letters based on what employers are looking for today.
For those considering a career shift or change, help wanted ads can be used as part one’s research and career exploration or discovery process. As one looks through the ads, they can also look for trends in their field of interest, gauge skills being sought, get a sense of the education or training that might be needed to enter the field. One can also find out if certain kinds of jobs are concentrated in certain areas. And, monitoring the ads over time and help determine if the demand for workers is increasing or shrinking in the area.
So, while responding to ads in the help wanted section of the newspaper or online classifieds may not be the most effective way to land an interview or a job, they are a useful and potentially informative tool that would add value to one’s job search arsenal.
Have you landed an interview or a job by responding to the want ads? Please share your story here.