Five Things Every Job Seeker Should Do Online Before Sending The Resume
We had the stone age, we had the iron age, and now it’s the Internet age. Nowadays everybody is talking about the Internet of Things, and other more or less futuristic concepts that our society is slowly adapting to. People often find it difficult to change their ways for new realities, especially when it comes down to the important decisions in their lives, such as insurance, finance, accommodation, or job-seeking. Photo: Stock picture / Freepik.
Czech Rep., Aug 19 (JS) – In all these important areas we naturally seek to establish a trust relationship with other people, so human contact is necessary. But as the world is changing, searching and applying for jobs has also changed, moving into the virtual world, although the stress of job interviews seems like it will be sticking with us for a long time.
1 Electronic Resumes and Online Resume Search Algorithms
Today, employers require candidates to submit cover letters and resumes via email, job sites, or a dedicated company career website. Out of sheer necessity, when reviewing piles of received resumes, the HR departments of sophisticated companies use software with an algorithm that sorts electronic resumes using keywords. Armed with this knowledge, you can decide to optimize your resume for these keywords and get more interview offers. So-called Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) help HR workers pre-filter and pre-select the right candidates for a job. Using Google or other search engines, you can find tools and software online that will write you a resume full of keywords for a specific job. A major downside is that this software is usually not available free.
2 Job Sites
Businesses also post ads on job sites, websites specialized in bringing together employers with vacancies and candidates with skills. Often, companies advertise anonymously, accepting resumes through the site’s electronic system or via various recruiting agencies. In the Czech market, the most active employment agencies focusing on multilingual and international candidates are Grafton Recruitment, Manpower Group, and smaller local players such as Indago Recruitment or Dorset Recruitment (both are based in Prague).
Job sites enable job searches based on important criteria, such as location, salary, type, and keywords. The best sites are updated every day or even several times per day. Jobspin publishes job offers from internationally-minded employers in Prague and Brno and features a special filter for languages. Another good source for English-friendly job ads is the jobs page run by the popular Prague-based online expat magazine expats.cz. The site jobs.cz / prace.cz has long held a monopoly in the Czech Republic, but searching there can sometimes be tricky, as many job ads have English names, but only after a careful reading of the job description do you discover that fluent Czech language skills are required.
3 Company Research
It’s a good idea to find out as much as you can about your future employer. This will help you avoid companies with bad reputations, and let you learn about the company to impress any manager at the job interview
Visit a company’s website and other websites that provide information on the company, such as employee reviews or business articles about the management, and their social networks. Many companies regularly post images of their team, offices, and activities. This could give you a clearer idea of the company culture at your future employer (serious, youngish, professional, casual, etc.)
One website that includes employee reviews is the popular international site Glassdoor, but you can also add and find reviews on company profiles here on Jobspin.
4 Your Virtual Reputation
HR Managers nowadays search the Internet and social media to find out who you really are, if they consider you a serious candidate. Nobody wants to hire a new employee and later discover that they have prejudiced views or bad social behaviour. Google your name and see what comes up – it is roughly the same as your future employer will find. If you have made some of your Facebook posts public, you might prefer to switch them to private content that only your friends can see. If you posted something unprofessional in a chat group years ago and don’t want those comments seen by employers, delete them.
5 Social and Professional Networks
When was the last time you updated your profile on LinkedIn? Professional platforms such as LinkedIn, GitHub, Glassdoor, and countless other professional forums and groups let you prepare a professional profile and connect you with other people who may be helpful to you in your job hunting. Headhunters, HR managers, and other talent acquisition professionals use these sites to find candidates for specific positions, so make sure your profile is “decorated” with more than a graduation photo and your hobbies from your 20s.
The tips for people who would like to find a job in Prague or Brno were prepared by the Jobspin team: a mix of interns, graduates, and university drop outs. Like what you’re reading? Subscribe to monthly news highlights in the Czech job market and economy – Newsletter Sign Up. Stay tuned – more reading is coming next week.
TIP: The Czech economy has been booming for the last few years, and maybe you are thinking about moving here. Yet, you are worried: what are the best paying jobs in Prague? Which field has the best salary? Should you move to Brno instead? In this article “Career Guide: Jobs And Salaries In Prague And Brno By Sectors And Positions In 2019“, we will give you an overview of the salary levels and economic situation in the Czech Republic, to help you find the best solution for your career.
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