
A lot has changed since I began doing career counseling. With management and professional level people, it was once a standard procedure to create a one-size-fits-all resume (or maybe two) and do a mass mailing as an important part of their job search. Often, 100 or more resumes would be sent out at a time to potential employers. We would discuss with a client the texture of the paper to be used with the resume and the color (they had a choice of three). Mass mailings such as this never worked very well and would not be done now. First, when you contact an employer directly, you need to target them. How well do they fit the criteria the you have set as important to your career goals? Next, you would explore the possibility of personalizing any contact by networking into them using a third party’s name (hopefully one the recipient knows well). Your resume would be tailored to a specific job and include “key words” that that employer would be looking for. Because of the shift in technologies, most resumes are sent by email or as an attachment to a message.
“Back in the day” you would research a company in the library. While libraries are still useful, and may contain directories that you would otherwise have to pay for, most research is done on the internet, often on the organization’s home page. You can check out Glassdoor to see what previous employees thought of a company or what the pay is for different positions.
Want ads use to be found primarily in newspapers or other printed materials such as journals. Now, ads are found on broad based internet sites or on the organization’s home page. You want to use recruiters or agencies? The best way is to network into them, but this information can also be found on your computer. No longer do you have to find phone books in every area code where you may want to search.