Online Job applications

[The Logical One]

The problem is, very few places do in person applications anymore.

If you're trying to apply to jobs in the retail or food industry, it still works. Of course you have to do it a certain way. If all you do is walk in and be like, "Yo, I want to turn in my application." Hand it to the first employee you see and walk out.... it's going in the trash or they will tell you the usual, "You have to apply online."

Instead, what you want to do is walk in looking well put together. You don't need to go in with a full suit, but dress nice and be well groomed. Print out their application and neatly fill it out prior to visiting the business. When you walk in, be enthusiastic and greet the first employee you see. Then tell him/her that you are interested in getting a job there and ask if you could speak to the manager.

This method has gotten me an interview on the spot EVERY TIME. If you're that desperate and submitting online applications aren't working, you'd mind as well give this method a shot.

 

[orca8589]

The problem is, very few places do in person applications anymore.

Yup. My wife's position has been eliminated, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and I'm confident she'll be back to work pretty soon, because most of what she's doing in her job search requires more in the way of face-to-face communications.

For me, on the other hand, finding a job is going to take a bit more effort. I've been rejected already with several online applications, that on average took me more than 45 minutes to complete. A lot of effort that I hope I don't have to repeat over and over.

Good luck to the OP, and all you guys looking for work.

~Chris

 

[RevDevil]

Best advice I can give you is to write an actual resume. Might not be full of action and adventure from work experience, but it's a start. The company I work for gets applications from Careerbuilder.com and they usually go straight to the email of the hiring managers. Years ago, when I was job hunting, I submitted approximately 75 online applications for everything from computer tech to network analyst to BestBuy and Costco. I got no real responses, aside from the canned letters of "not qualified".

Mr. Gollnick wrote a good post a while back on writing an effective resume. Dig it up and read it to give you some ideas. Stay away from cell phone stores.

 

[orca8589]

Best advice I can give you is to write an actual resume. Might not be full of action and adventure from work experience, but it's a start. The company I work for gets applications from Careerbuilder.com and they usually go straight to the email of the hiring managers. Years ago, when I was job hunting, I submitted approximately 75 online applications for everything from computer tech to network analyst to BestBuy and Costco. I got no real responses, aside from the canned letters of "not qualified".

Mr. Gollnick wrote a good post a while back on writing an effective resume. Dig it up and read it to give you some ideas. Stay away from cell phone stores.

:thumbup:

~Chris

 

[Fanglekai]

If you're trying to apply to jobs in the retail or food industry, it still works. Of course you have to do it a certain way. If all you do is walk in and be like, "Yo, I want to turn in my application." Hand it to the first employee you see and walk out.... it's going in the trash or they will tell you the usual, "You have to apply online."

Instead, what you want to do is walk in looking well put together. You don't need to go in with a full suit, but dress nice and be well groomed. Print out their application and neatly fill it out prior to visiting the business. When you walk in, be enthusiastic and greet the first employee you see. Then tell him/her that you are interested in getting a job there and ask if you could speak to the manager.

This method has gotten me an interview on the spot EVERY TIME. If you're that desperate and submitting online applications aren't working, you'd mind as well give this method a shot.

In the past few years most businesses have gone digital with their applications. You create a profile, fill out their application online, and maybe get a response back. You could print out the application you submit online and turn that in I suppose. Part of the online application is usually a questionnaire designed to weed out people with certain qualities the company doesn't want, including but not limited to lazy, drug using, arrogant, prone to anger, etc. The online process makes it incredibly easy to weed people out because the computer does it for them.