Question about job search contact order

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  blackmage439 Member Posts: 163

  May 2007

  tech-airman wrote:

  Let's say you had the following information:

  1. Company street address
  2. Company phone number
  3. Company e-mail address
  4. Company careers webpage
  5. Third-party job website

  
  In this day and age of telemarketers and spam, I have some questions.
  
  Questions:

  1. Is there any other information that would help to find out?
  2. Is there any of the above information that should not be used?
  3. In which order of the abovementioned contacts should be used?
  4. Is there a recommended timeline for the abovementioned contact order?

  
  Very good questions! Here are my opinions:
  
  1. A lot of companies just post their general HR email address on job sites. If you could get an actual person's email address (like the head of HR), that would be a big help if they don't respond to your application.
  
  2. You need all of those things listed. However, when within a third-party website, DO NOT click the "apply for job" or "email job" buttons if an email address is given for you. In my experience, employers do not respond to applications sent through third-party sites, like Monster.com. Just like recruiters, if you don't have to, don't go through a third party. Contact the company directly through their phone number or email address.
  
  3. I always email first. Then again, I HATE talking on the phone, so it may just be my own bias. If no response is given through email, try a phone number. If you still don't get anywhere, send a letter and a copy of your resume.
  
  4. I'm currently job searching... going on about a week now. I think my plan is to wait a week after an email. If I don't get a reply, I will call someone about the position.
  
  On another note about the job-search websites. When applying for a position, write down (exactly, letter-by-letter):

  • Job-search website name
  • Company name
  • Job title
  • Contact name
  • Email address
  • Phone Number
  • Address/Location of job

  Job-search websites are a tad unreliable. Most of them nowadays allow you to save a job, and view it later. Well, these listings tend to disappear randomly. Yet, some seem to linger on for months. Regardless, if you don't save the job info elsewhere and only rely on the third-party website, the listings WILL for *POOF!* and you'll be out of luck, without any contact information. Not to mention the fact that if you apply for a bunch of positions all at one time, and you use multiple websites, you'll forget very quickly if you already applied for a position!
  
  Also, definitely keep a record of who exactly you talk to, how you talked to them (phone, email, etc.), and the outcome of that conversation. If they are unreliable, you can catch them in a trap very fast before you're dragged into an undesirable situation.

  "Facts are meaningless. They can be used to prove anything!"
  - Homer Simpson

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