The Process of Applying for Jobs

My generation has it pretty easy when it comes to the job application process. New jobs are posted  on the Internet daily. You can do a simple search, and a myriad of job opportunities appear. The career services center on campus has a database on the web of potential jobs. All are easily accessible. The only risk is that you may fall into a scam (if you don't do your research correctly). But seriously, how freakin' simple is it to do a Google search for a job you want and in the town in which you want it? Pretty freakin' simple. Making it even easier is the microblogging site Twitter. Follow industry experts, or even a hashtag and magically jobs appear. Continuously. Finally, e-mail your resume, cover letter, and references, and you're golden. Right? 

Not so much. Think about the sheer volumes of people who are also applying to the same positions.  Think about all of the e-mails that address is getting. Think about how quickly your resume can be deleted. Think about how you electronically sign your name. You aren't even putting your real signature on your cover letter. How do you make your type stand out from everyone else's? Think about the fact that you are branded by what a potential employer finds out about you on the Internet. Yes, good things can happen, but think about those photos you didn't want you friend to post, but they did. Now imagine your ultimate dream job comes and goes because of those photos. You could get rejected from a job without ever having spoken verbal word to an individual. Crazy. 


Think about having to address snail mail envelopes. Tedious. Think about having to lick all of those envelopes. Gross. Think about having to call, or blindly write to see if a company was hiring. Not so easy. 

So, while we are a generation that hides behind our MacBooks, think about applying to your ultimate job that you are qualified for via mail, and never hearing a word. Well, you sent it to the wrong address. Now, while sitting at your computer imagine typing in the wrong e-mail address. At least you get an e-mail bounced back giving you a second chance! 


"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult." -Warren Buffett 


Images from: http://www.units.muohio.edu/rsp/recsports/images/aquatics/email.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/communicate/blog/teacher//images/snailmail_1_.jpg