Should I Drop Off My Resume In Person - TheJobNetwork

Should I Drop Off My Resume In Person - TheJobNetworkYou see a job advertisement zugreifbar, and it suits you to a T. You could do the job with one hand tied behind your back, youd enjoy the work, and its at a company youve always admired. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) And, as it turns out, the company is located just down the street from you. Although the post directs you to upload your resume, why leid take a trip over to the companys office, ask for the corporate recruiter, and hand them the resume?Itd be great Why wouldnt they want to meet you? Youd be a perfect fit for the job, and theyd knowon the spot, no lessthat they could end the search right here and nowUnfortunately, things are a bit mora complicated. Showing up unannounced with your resume could cause you more harm than help.In the days before everybody had email and the internet (think the 1990s), if you were interested in a job you saw in the newspaper () youd print up a resume and a cover letter on nice stationery and drop it in the mail. That meant that from the day a job welches posted to receiving the first resume, it was usually a few days before a recruiter would get anything in the mail. So, if you showed up with a resume the day a job opening was published in the paper, there was the possibility the recruiter and the hiring manager were itching to get the job filled. It showed that you were a motivated job seeker with spunk.In fact, this was how my wife snagged her first job when we moved to Miami. An editor and a journalist, she ran in to drop off a resume to a magazine publisher that was preparing to open up a new editors job. She gave them the resume, they handed it to the publisher, and within a few days she had an interview and then a job offer. She spent the next nine years at that magazine.It doesnt work that way anymore. Generally speaking, it is now not considered a welcome gesture for a job seeker to drop off a resume at an employ er for a professional-level role.Whats changed? Basically, the entire recruitment and hiring process. This shift was enabled by two factorsFirst, email. This change allowed job seekers to send a resume to somebody at a company instantaneously. The person receiving the email could check out the applications at their convenience, but still much more quickly than a resume sent by traditional mail.Second, online job applications. This started with job boards like TheJobNetwork or LinkedIn, but grew into several other job portals. Then applicant tracking systems (ATSs) came along. These are software applications recruiters use to collect, sort, and process resumes once these systems were implemented, they also enabled companies to build out their own job pages on their websites, where they could collect resumes directly through their system.As these systems arose, many companies got rid of employment centers where they would take walk-in applications of job seekers. Some companies still operate walk-in employment centers, but theyre primarily directed at finding manual or hourly labor, where job seekers wouldnt traditionally have a resume they could email (if the employer does run one of these, by all means feel free to stop by).Here are of the main three reasons why its a bad idea for a job seeker to drop off a resumeThe recruiters job is now database and systems driven. Theyre managing massive amounts of dataits not unusual for a recruiter to collect thousands of resumes through their ATS, which assists them in prioritizing job seekers based upon fit. Since the process is all digital, presenting a paper resume (without uploading it into the system first) is presents an inconvenience that needs to be scanned, entered, and prioritized.Its an interruption for the recruiter. A recruiters day is typically filled with candidate sourcing activities, phone screens, in-person interviews, meetings with hiring managers, strategic projects, and other activities. In other ja genaus, theyre really, really busy. And heres the conundrum companies and recruiters are very sensitive to the customer experience for job applicants. They want the employer to be perceived as an employer of choice, and so while it may disrupt the recruiters day to drop what they are doing and meet candidates who show up unannounced, they may still greet them in order to provide a positive experience so no one feels snubbed by the company. But, the recruiter may actually resent it, hurting your chances in the long run.Showing up is outside the process the company asked you to follow. Employers like to hire people who demonstrate a propensity for following directions. Its highly likely the employer asked job seekers to apply online conversely, its highly unlikely they asked job seekers to show up unannounced. Its a strike against your ability to follow directions from Day 1.What should you do if you feel youre the perfect candidate and you want to make a positive impression and stand out?Apply online firstpromptly. Yes, its a pain, but go online to the companys website, upload your resume, fill out those boxes, and respond however the online job ad requires. Doing as youre asked shows you respect the companys processesand their employees time. Besides, the company representatives will likely send you back to this step at some point anyway, so why not get ahead of it?Reach out to an appropriate contact online. There is nothing wrong with finding the recruiter or hiring manager and sending them a brief note via email or through LinkedIn. A well-placed, well-timed note (indicating that youve already applied online, of course) can often elicit a positive response from the recipient if youre a good fit. And they can review it and respond to it on their own time, rather than when you show up.Leverage your network. Do you know somebody who works at the company? Ask them to put in a good word and route your resume on your behalf. They may have the inside track on the o pportunity, and a respected referral source is usually held in high regard by a human resources department.One more thing Should you feel vitally compelled to drop off a resume at that company, just leave it with the front desk. Dont ask for the recruiter to come out and meet you. Theyll get the resume anywaythe receptionist will give it to them.Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies LLC, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process.He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).Insider Career Strategies offers a free resume review. You can email Scott at scott.singerinsidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.