Unemployed in Des Moines

Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients achieve their goals. Her programs cover: Career growth and enhancement, Career Change, Retirement Alternatives and Job Search Strategy. Want to discover specific career change strategies that get results? Discover how by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/

Dorothy, The biggest question and stumbling block I have is networking. If you could address this subject in a useable fashion in your article, that would be very helpful to job seekers like myself.

Thanks, T-y

Hi T-y, thank you for your question/request. Let me do two things. First, to reference an article on my blog I did recently on networking and then I’ll expand from there.

http://nextchapternewlife.com/blog/2010/04/career-development-networking-for-the-socially-inept-introverted-and-reluctant/

This article basically outlines the basics for developing a network. For a job seeker to make use of the network here are some additional tips:

• You have to think strategically about your network and who some of them are to ensure you get the maximum effect. Go to events that will be rich in the type of people likely to be connected to the places you are targeting to work for. Example: If you have a technology background consider going to IEEE or SW Engineering group. If your work is more general like clerical or administrative, then go to business oriented group. Also, look into www.meetup.com for your local area for groups that might be business oriented or more specific topics.
• Remember what I said about your network. You have to give before you receive. That means you can’t just get someone’s business card and expect something from them immediately, unless your conversation indicated differently. In order for your network to yield you good job leads, it will take some time but it will be worth it. After you meet someone new, email the next day and suggest coffee or a time to get better acquainted. If that is too much time to spend, consider simply sending a note as a follow up to keep your name familiar to them. Then consider putting them on a “schedule” for you to simply touch bases, inquire if they will be at the next meeting, or send them an interesting article.
• At some point you will want to ask your network “Who do you know that works for X Company?” or something similar. If you do, ask them if they would feel comfortable introducing you to them. Your goal is to find the “sphere of influence” in the target companies you want to work for. Once there, you can ask for an information interview.
• Beware of job seeker networking groups. Not that they are bad but you need to check them critically for the following: 1- that they aren’t a “gripe session” and 2- they are sharing their network. Job seekers can get kind of protective of job leads, network contacts and in a negative space so you need to discern the nature of job seeker networking groups.
• Keep in mind the old saying “It’s who you know”. If you look at your own job history and that of others you know you will discover that most people get their job leads through people they know. You don’t ask your network “Can you get me a job?” It’s too blunt and most people can’t get you a job. They can be only a couple of layers between you and the decision maker at a company you want to work for.
• Lastly, think of your networking as a living “resource list”. Right now, they are a resource for people you may want to know for job leads but as you become employed they become a resource for a good plumber, restaurant or services. YOU are also a resource, so you need to be thinking of what resources you have that you can share. I read somewhere that the better a person is at connecting people to other people; the more successful they are professionally and personally. I think that applies.

Judi Perkins, the How-To Career Coach, was a recruiter for 22 years, consulting with hundreds of hiring authorities throughout the hiring process. She’s seen over 500,000 resumes, knows how hiring authorities think and how they hire. As a result she understands and teaches what other coaches don’t: why the typical strategies in finding a job so often fail, what to do instead, and why. She’s been on PBS’s Frontline, will be in the May issue of Smart Money magazine, and has been quoted frequently in numerous articles for CareerBuilder, MSN Careers, Yahoo Hot Jobs, and the New York Times, among others. She’s also been featured as an expert in numerous career books. Sign up for her free newsletter at http://www.findtheperfectjob.com/

The most problematic part of a resume for people seems to be crafting their accomplishments. The confusion between an accomplishment and a responsibility is the difference between generating excitement by selling what you can do, and making a bland statement that elicits the question “So what?” It’s the difference between being invited in for an interview….and getting no response at all.

A responsibility reads as if it was taken from your job description. It fails to distinguish you from any other person that held that title before you, or holds that title at any other company. It says your function, but it doesn’t speak to your ability to perform that function.

By contrast, an accomplishment is what differentiates you from any other person that does, or has done, that job. It not only indicates how well you perform your job, but what type of person you are.

How does a factual accomplishment reveal something as subtle and subjective as a personality trait? Measured with the length of time you were at a company, your number of accomplishments indicates the degree to which you are a go-getter. It says if you’re motivated to go beyond the average job, and how much pride you take in your work.

It tells the hiring authority if you look for problems and find ways to solve them, or if you are content with saying, “That’s good enough.” And it also tells him how well you know your job by how well you solved those problems. Let’s look at an example. If you’re a teacher, a responsibility might read:

• Developed innovative, education-based curriculum

Which leaves the following questions:

• For what classes did you develop a curriculum?
• Why did it need to be developed?
• What was going on before it was developed?
• What was the result of the development?

Interviewers want answers, not questions. Since the responsibility statement doesn’t indicate how well you performed your job, it’s easier not to invite you in for an interview. Interviewers don’t know if you have accomplishments hiding behind your responsibilities. They assume you don’t have anything to say, because you didn’t say it. They don’t care that perhaps you didn’t know how to say it. If your resume doesn’t sell you, it’s not their problem. It’s yours.

By contrast, the accomplishment version of the same statement might read:

• Created and implemented innovative, education-based curriculum that engaged students more actively, resulting in 75% of student body raising grades by average of a full point

This says you’re worth talking to. Then at the interview, it opens the field for the interviewer to ask you for more information about what types of programs you implemented and how you implemented them.

An accomplishment is a results-oriented statement. It shows the benefit of hiring you by telling what you can do. What you’re saying is, “I know what you want done, and I’ve done that. I’ve done it successfully for my previous company; therefore, I can do it successfully for you. When you hire me, you aren’t risking an unknown. You’re hiring someone who has a proven ability to do the job successfully.”

That’s what interviewers want to know. That’s what they want to hear. They don’t want to wonder, and they don’t want to figure it out. If your resume doesn’t indicate what you’re capable of, the chance of an interview in which to sell yourself is slim.

If you’ve been sending out resumes and getting nothing in response, take a look at your bullets under each company name. Do they just say what you did, or do they say how well you did it?

You’re selling a product, and the product is you. The interviewer is the buyer, and your resume is, in effect, your marketing brochure. But if the buyer isn’t interested, you can’t close the sale. And that’s your problem, not theirs.

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives, writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search, and can be found on Twitter as @eExecutives.

In your job search, outside of LinkedIn, I believe Google can be your best friend online!

Google has many tools that can make it easy to find and target the jobs and information you need to run ahead of the pack at the companies you want to pursue.

Used wisely, some of these tools can help you find job postings, company news, contact information and many other valuable pieces of information that can help you set yourself above the crowd.

Here are some ideas to consider:

Do an X-Ray! Google allows you to use it’s search engine not only to search the entire internet, but also to do a search on a specific site alone. This is usually referred to as an “X-Ray” search. In your search string in the Google search box, you can simply specify the site you want to search, using a format like:

site:www.linkedin.com

You can then add whatever additional search terms you may want to add. For example, say you don’t have many connections on LinkedIn yourself, so you don’t get many results when you do a search within LinkedIn’s own search tool. Perhaps you are looking for a company contact in your job search… like an Engineering Manager at Seagate Corp. in the Minneapolis area. You could enter:

site:www.linkedin.com “Greater Minneapolis” “Engineering Manager” Seagate

Among many directory pages and others, you will also find the public profiles on LinkedIn of anyone that has “Engineering Manager” and “Seagate” in their profile that’s registered in the “Greater Minneapolis-St Paul” area. With more sophisticated parameters you can eliminate the non-profile results, however, this can get you started.

You can also do an X-Ray search of specific companies you may be interested in pursuing, to find information on their sites that you are seeking… more on that next.

Set up Alerts! Google Alerts are an excellent way to be made aware of new information that gets posted, as it occurs. Perhaps you are a Programmer that specializes in Java development and one of your target companies is United Health Group (UHG) in the Minneapolis area. You can set up Alerts to notify you of any news that gets published about UHG, and Alerts to let you know as soon as a relevant new position is posted on their site.

For news, you can simply set up an Alert searching “United Health”, and anything posted anywhere with that string will trigger a notification to you.

For jobs, you can set up an Alert using an X-Ray search of their site’s career pages. As an example, if you are looking for Java related position that they post on their own site for Minnesota locations you can set up an Alert string like:

site:careers.unitedhealthgroup.com minnesota java

Most companies post positions on their own site before they are posted on any external job boards, and many times they don’t post a position on external job boards at all. The notification you will get of the new posting will make you aware of it before most everyone else!

You can set up as many Alerts as you’d like, for as many companies as you’d like, and with as many variations of search words as you’d like… be creative! You can also choose whether to have them emailed to you (as they happen, or once per day), or have them sent to Google Reader…

Consolidate your information! Google Reader is an excellent way to keep track of all this information, and more. Google Reader allows you to keep track of new postings on sites you’re interested in following… like this blog! (Click on the “Subscribe to…” “Posts” icon in the right column of this page) It’s also a great place to direct all of your Google Alerts so that you can read and follow up on them all from one central place. Google Reader receives and posts information as soon as it’s found by Google and keeps you up to date without filling up your email box.

Efficiently finding information from your target company sites, setting up automatic notifications, and reading all the relevant updates easily in one place makes Google an extremely powerful online resource for your job search that most job seekers don’t use. Be ahead of them all by taking advantage of the power available to you!

This blog post was written by Susan Guarneri, the Assessment Goddess. My love of learning combined with a future-focus orientation shows up in the specialty services I offer: distance career counseling and telecoaching, career coaching, personal branding, online identity management, executive coaching, career assessments, leadership development, resumes, branded communications, web portfolios, blog development, corporate training, and outplacement.

Employers and recruiters are using social networks – online and offline – more than ever before, according to the second annual 2009 Jobvite Social Recruitment Survey.

Here is how employers are using social networks to recruit:

• 80% use or are planning to use social networking to source candidates
• 77% use social networks to find passive candidates (not actively seeking employment)
• 76% plan to invest more in employee referrals
• 46% will spend more on social networking
• 36% will spend less on job boards

Why has social networking become a contender in the recruitment process? Two simple reasons: better quality candidates and lower cost to the employer or recruiter. Dan Finnigan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jobvite, says, “The economy has spurred a fundamental change in how recruiters find candidates and how people find jobs. The good news is that referrals and social networks provide a high quality, low cost way to hire and for that reason social recruitment will continue to grow even as the economy improves.”

Recruitment via professional online networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter shows continued growth:

• LinkedIn use for recruitment grew from 80% in 2008 to 95% in 2009
• Facebook recruitment surged from 36% n 2008 to 59% in 2009
• Twitter use for sourcing candidates ranked third at 42%

In addition, to sourcing candidates via social networks, employers use them to research candidates prior to an interview: LinkedIn (76%), search engines (67%), Facebook (44%), and Twitter (21%). Savvy candidates are aware that they will be scrutinized before getting the nod for an interview. The Jobvite survey reports that 24% of candidates make their social online presence known to the employer when applying for a job.

Can you be found online via a Google search or on LinkedIn? Is your online identity clear, clean, and compelling? For tips on how to immediately boost your online presence, check out two of my previous posts:

• Online Identity Management: Get Found!
• Upgrade Your Bare-bones LinkedIn Profile

For a full copy of the 2009 Jobvite Social Recruitment Survey, go to http://web.jobvite.com/2009-social-recruitment-survey.html

This blog was written by Susan Guarneri, the Assessment Goddess. My love of learning combined with a future-focus orientation shows up in the specialty services I offer: distance career counseling and telecoaching, career coaching, personal branding, online identity management, executive coaching, career assessments, leadership development, resumes, branded communications, web portfolios, blog development, corporate training, and outplacement.

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives, writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search, and can be found on Twitter as @eExecutives.

Every now and then, I have a job seeker tell me…

“I really wasn’t that interested in that job, and so I didn’t do my best in the interview.”

I always think… what a wasted opportunity!

People often close off the possibility of a hiring process moving further because they decided in a moment that this wasn’t a job they wanted. Perhaps they didn’t like the role, the company, the hiring manager, or some other aspect of it. They get dispassionate, or overly succinct in their answers. They show no further interest in the role at all. The employer judges the response and closes things off.
People forget some basic principles in the process…

You are never obligated to accept an offer! Continuing the process with enthusiasm and commitment can have tremendous benefits for you, as we’ll discuss further shortly. Should you be successful and ultimately get an offer, you are certainly not under any legal, moral, or ethical obligation to accept the position. Why not go for an offer with every opportunity you can?

You can always use more practice! For most job seekers, you don’t get that many opportunities to practice and hone your interview skills under “live fire”. It’s critically important to prepare and practice for interviews prior to meeting the employer. However, it still feels different when you’re actually there, getting asked the questions when it counts. Go through each interview process as far as you can, the best way you can, to help you refine your skills for the interviews your really do want.

Every impression counts! It really is a small world. It amazes me how many times prior contacts come back around and reconnect weeks, months, or years later. We also live in a time when people move to new jobs regularly. Any impression you create with someone today, may help or hurt you when you might encounter them again someday. A hiring manager at a company you are interviewing for today for a job you don’t want, may be a hiring manager, or potential networking contact at another company months or years from now for a job you do want. It happens all the time, and the impression you left with them the first time will impact their interest in you the next time as well. Make every impression your best.

Other opportunities can result from the process! Similarly, you never know what other opportunities may come out of a good interview process if you stick with it. It’s not unusual for someone to go through an entire hiring process for a position, and find out at the offer stage that the company decided that the candidate actually fits another role better. They make an offer for an entirely different position that may be an ideal fit for that person. If you didn’t do your best throughout the process, or “exited” too early, that prospect can never happen.

It’s great to get a boost of affirmation! As I often say… One of the most important, and most difficult things to do in a job search, is to maintain a positive mental attitude! As time goes on, there are plenty of things to get discouraged about. Finding ways to boost your attitude and feel good about charging forward is key to a successful outcome. Even if you decide not to accept a particular offer, it sure feels good to receive one! It proves you’re employable, and an attractive candidate to some employer. That affirmation can provide a great bump to your confidence as you continue your search!

Don’t ever present less than your very best in any interview process. Regardless of how you feel about a particular position, always follow through to its conclusion. The benefits can be tremendous!

Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view his sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com/, and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.

I have discussed this topic in the past, and I see that it is still one of the most frequently asked and hotly debated questions on Linked-In. So I think it is worth revisiting, exploring both sides of the questions. Then you can be the final judge of what to do in your job search.

CONSENSUS:
The only thing that people on all sides of the great cover letter debate agree upon is when a recruiter, employer or job posting requests that you include a cover letter along with your resume that you do so; and you must follow their directions to a tee including sending a detailed salary history if requested.

PRO:
What I observed in evaluating the importance of a cover letter is, just like in politics, the pro and con opinions seem to follow defined lines. In participating in and following up with fellow contributors on these discussions I found that recruiters generally share a point of view that a cover letter is helpful to them and I recommend that you send one to them.As a recruiter I rarely read cover letters. When I did it was only after reading the resume first, unless I asked for one for a particular assignment, and I will say I rejected more people based on their cover letter than I was swayed to change my original opinion. However I do know many recruiters, especially in high level search and certain industries who feel a cover letter is a required part of the resume submittal process.

So my opinion is that a cover letter should be sent to a recruiter since you need to sell them on accepting you as a candidate and working with you on the current assignment as well as on future assignments. Just make sure your cover letter is on-target, polished and professional.

I also found that corporate people who screen resumes in smaller companies and for companies that don’t hire on a regular basis, or in high volume rely more on cover letters to differentiate between candidates. I think this is because they have not developed the skills to judge candidates on the basis of their resume and social media.

So I would recommend you send one to them as well, but if you do not it is not a major faux pas.

CON:
Many of you will be dealing with recruiters on the corporate side who are working on high volume searches where they receive up to 300 resumes per job, and they generally work on multiple internal assignments with different departments and decision makers. These people do not have the time or inclination to read or receive a cover letter. To them it is another piece of useless clutter on their desk or inbox.

For them I suggest it is best to use the time and effort you put into a cover letter into tweaking and customizing your resume for the specific job you are applying for. The odds of reading your cover letter and sending it up the line are slim. But on the downside the people who do take the time to read your cover letter will scrutinize it so you better be carful how it is written. I have also found most of these recruiters/screeners dislike being sold, have a low tolerance for repetitiveness, and are prone to look for and question discrepancies in your resume and cover letter. So if you have a choice you can get away without a cover letter and it will not have a negative impact on your candidacy.

Now my personal opinion is if a cover letter is not specifically required it can do more harm than good. Most people I know are average to poor resume writers who learn through trial and error; and they are even worse at writing a cover letter. So if resume and cover letter writing is not your forte I suggest you not write one. If you feel a need to do so remember your cover letter will be judged on spelling, grammar, content, style and how well it sells you against other candidates. I think if your resume is a powerful document you should rely on it and save your sales pitch for a personal interview.

CONCLUSION:
I believe the best approach in most cases is the middle ground, which is to send a simple letter of introduction along with your resume. Do not try and sell yourself. Just explain what job you are applying for, that the resume will show why you are a good fit, and offer include contact information and availability for an interview.

Again I would appreciate if you all weigh in on this discussion and leave a comment here or send one to me directly.

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing “generator,” a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad.

One feature you job seekers may not know about or have fully explored is LinkedIn Groups. LinkedIn Groups are free to join, and you can choose to join up to 50 groups from a list of thousands of user-created groups for literally just about anything. Not only do these groups provide you access to connect with and contact fellow group members who could become future partners, employees, investors, customers etc., but the groups’ newly updated discussion board feature can provide more networking opportunities, answers to your questions and insightful advice, tips and support. You can also join the groups’ subgroups and contribute answers, comments and your own expertise to the groups’ discussion boards to establish your own online personal brand on LinkedIn.

Last year, I published a list of the top 20 LinkedIn groups for job seekers which became a very popular resource on Career Rocketeer. It’s been over a year since the list originally went out and some of the groups have changed and new groups have emerged. Therefore, I have updated the list and am pleased to present the Top 25 LinkedIn Groups ALL Job Seekers MUST Join to help you build your brands and launch your careers:

1. JobAngels – Non-profit job search network of professionals helping other professionals find job advice and opportunities.
2. Executive Suite – Community of over 100,000 US-based executive-level and recruiter members.
3. Star:Jobs Professional Career Center – Group working in tandem with Linked:HR, the largest Recruiters’ Group on LinkedIn, to help top candidates find jobs quickly and efficiently.
4. Career Rocketeer – Career Launch Network – Fastest-growing professional network for personal branding, career search and career management, bringing job seekers and employers, recruiters and career experts together for mutual success.
5. The Talent Buzz – Group for job seekers, recruiters and HR professionals interested in expanding their professional networks.
6. Helping Friends Career Network (LI2HF) – Business and career network where entrepreneurs, hiring managers, recruiters, and talented professionals worldwide can make meaningful win-win connections.
7. JobsDirectUSA – Official job search group on LinkedIn for JobsDirectUSA.com.
8. Career Change Central – Group linking job changers and professionals in career transition with recruiters, hiring managers and career coaches.
9. CareerLink Network – Community providing job seekers spiritual, physical, social, mental, economic and personal growth to meet their ever-evolving needs
10. Jobs Alert – Job search group for middle and senior-level managers worldwide.
11. A Job Needed – A Job Posted – Group is for all LinkedIn members searching for employment, posting employment or recruiters helping members find employment.
12. Looking for a Job? – Group designed to allow job seekers to share ideas, network, post jobs, advise on job market trends and ultimately help them find work.
13. MyCredentials – Career Presentation – Group helping members to network, expand their resumes and enhance their interview skills.
14. JibberJobber – Career Management – Network for executives, professionals, students and all those involved in the career services industry, including counselors, coaches and resume writers.
15. ResumeMaker Career Network – Forum connecting qualified job seekers with hiring managers and corporate recruiters as well as allowing candidates to discuss and share career opportunities.
16. Personal Branding Network – Consortium for all professionals looking to build powerful personal brands.
17. Indeed.com – Official job search group on LinkedIn for Indeed.com.
18. Project: Get Hired! – Motivational support group exclusively for job hunters to share creative strategies and stay motivated.
19. Job-Hunt Help – Discussion group for job seekers sharing advice and leads and networking to help one another.
20. IMPACT Hiring Solutions Job Search Network – Discussion and networking forum for executives seeking job opportunities.
21. Global Jobs Network – Network for all professionals who would like to be aware of requirements in their respective fields and for organizations & recruiters who are hiring.
22. Job Openings, Job Leads and Job Connections! – One of the largest groups for job seekers on LinkedIn.
23. JOBS 2.0 – Group helping job seekers find a job online using the latest in social and professional networks.
24. The Job Board – Networking group for professionals seeking jobs and recruiters seeking candidates.
25. Self-Recruiter® – Job Search & Career Management – Discussion and networking forum helping job seekers become their own specialist, their own career counselor, and their own recruiter.

Mario Schulzke is the creator of CareerSparx, an online course that helps recent college graduates begin their careers. For more information, download their free 61-page guide on how to start your career or check out the CareerSparx blog. When not helping recent graduates ignite their careers, Mario works as a senior director at WONGDOODY, curates IdeaMensch.com and recently completed the Ironman Switzerland.

When it comes to thinking about staying connected with your extended network, especially if you have a large one, it can almost be as daunting as, say, public speaking for a lot of people. But, it can be broken down into manageable steps. The most important thing with networking is that you stay in touch with those you connect with and you make every effort to keep a relationship going – even if you don’t “need” something at the moment.

Here are our five best tips for continued networking success.

1) Pass Along Articles of Interest to Your Contacts

One great way to stay in touch is to pass along anything of interest to your contacts. You want to continually demonstrate that you’re not only passionate about your industry (and follow it regularly), but also that you are genuinely interested in your contact’s best interest. It never hurts to reach out to someone you know and say, “Hi, John, I came across this article and thought of you. Perhaps you’d find the statistic on the growing demographics of 18- to 24-year-olds interesting for your research. I hope you’re well. All my best, Paul.”

2) Keep Your Network Posted of Your Updates

We recommend that you touch base with your contacts at least twice a year. A year can be quite a bit of time, and a lot can happen. If you are hired for a position, pick up a new internship, move to a new city or start a new blog, these are all reasons to update your network on what’s happening in your life. It’s also important that you use these opportunities to thank those that have helped you become who you are or get you to where you are today.

3) Remember Special Occasions

This can be a hard one. In a perfect world, we would all remember everyone’s birthdays and important events, but unfortunately, real life can get in the way of that. If there are certain members of your network who are your friends on Facebook, make it a daily habit to look at the “Birthdays” reminder to see if there’s anyone you should reach out to. And this doesn’t mean you should leave a generic “Happy Birthday” on someone’s wall; rather take the time to type out an e-mail and let the person know you’re thinking of them. It doesn’t take a lot of additional effort, and it’s an easy way to stand out from the “Facebook wall clutter.” In addition, keep an eye on big events announced by your contacts. If you want to get into public relations and you see that your friend launched a new campaign, send them a congratulatory note.

4) Create Google Alerts for Your Contacts and/or Their Businesses

One great way to keep tabs on a contact or his or her company is by creating a Google Alert. It’s free and takes less than a minute, and the service can send you valuable information on a colleague that you might have been too busy to notice. Then, when you see big news about someone or his or her company, take a minute to send an e-mail and follow up. If you’re not sure how to set up a Google Alert, check out our recent post on the CareerSparx blog, “Your Dream Employer? Do More Than Google Them.”

5) Follow Them on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn

Again, the idea is to stay connected with your contacts and what’s going on in their lives. If you see that a birthday is coming up or something important just happened, make note of what you see on your social media accounts and follow up via a personalized e-mail. Another tactic is to hit “like” if they post something produced by their company on a Facebook profile, or retweet a Twitter update for a big project of theirs. They will appreciate the support, and you will achieve your goal of staying connected and on their radar.

By following these five easy tips, you will be able to stay better connected to your network. And as you’ll see, it really isn’t as hard or as overwhelming as it seems. Best of luck.

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives, writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search, and can be found on Twitter as @eExecutives.

In an age of online application processes, and emailed resumes, why do so many companies still have you fill out a paper job application when you arrive for an interview or before they make you an offer?

You would think they have all the information they need from you already, why is it necessary to have you fill out the paper form?

Is it necessary to duplicate everything on your resume onto the application? What exactly, are you signing?

These are common questions I get. The process of completing and returning the application to the potential employer can have consequences in your job search. Here are some things to consider when it’s presented to you:

They want your signature, EEOC information, and references. The primary reasons employers have candidates fill out an application in the hiring process is to get information that isn’t normally presented with a resume. Typically, an application includes fine print that states you are giving them permission to do a background check, including criminal checks, credit checks, drug tests, and reference checks. By signing the application, you are stating your approval.

Secondly, an application typically includes a section or a separate form that asks your race, sex, and other demographic information. Most companies are legally required to report the numbers of applicants by demographics and so they gather this for those statistical purposes. You are not required to fill this out, however, companies have strict rules as to how that information can be handled, so you can be assured it’s not used in the decision making process.
The application usually asks for references along with contact information to reach them.

Finally, the fine print also usually states that the information you’ve provided is true. The application often asks for prior convictions, dates of prior employment, titles, education, prior salaries, etc. Should it be found later that the information you’ve provided is false, it provides the company stronger legal ground to fire you.

These are the reasons you’re asked to submit the application… so how should you handle it?

Provide information selectively. In most cases, you will find that the employer does not have an objection if you ask to exclude, or delay, providing some of the information. The prior conviction information, signature to testify to the truth of the information you’ve provided and giving them permission for the background checks is generally not negotiable. They will likely require that from you and it will raise “red flags” if you decline.

However, they will often allow you to simply attach your resume and not require you to fill in all the job history information. The EEOC information is always your choice. And if you explain that you are happy to provide reference information at the time of a pending offer but would like to protect your references beforehand, you will generally find the employer agreeable to those terms. Certainly there may be exceptions, however, most employers tend to be flexible on those items.

Generally less information is to your advantage, but be smart! Not providing your prior salary, and reference information until further down the road is better for you in the hiring process. It enables you to be more in control. While I recommend you delay providing that kind of information early in the process, I would also caution against creating an adversarial relationship that might harm your chances of being considered further. There is no harm in asking if it would be OK to provide that information later. However, if the response is that they want it now, it only creates antagonism for you to object further. Use good judgment in deciding how far to push your objections.

Even in this age of computerized processing, it is very common for an employer to ask for a paper application. Consider the reasons, your objectives in the process, and be wise!