Do You Shop for Jobs Like You Shop for the Holidays?

Every year, I’m amazed by all the people who wait until a day or two before the holidays to begin their shopping.  While this approach would turn me into a nervous stressball, those who do it see no reason not to.  After all, they know that stores will be open as late as possible leading up to the holidays—so why not procrastinate?

I often see people take this same approach when it comes to finding a new job.  They look around from time to time, and when they come across an interesting position, they’ll say, “I found a great job and I’m going to apply for it next week.”  The problem with this strategy is simple: You never know how long the “job store” is going to stay open!

While most public sector jobs come with a specific close date attached to them, most private sector job postings are available only until the company finds enough qualified candidates.  In today’s competitive job market, many ads stay out for a week or less.  That’s why it’s imperative that you have your resume 95% ready to go before you find the job posting of your dreams.  You’ll still need to spend some time customizing your resume to match up with the keywords and qualifications specified by the company’s ad.  However, trying to write a quality resume from start to finish in time to submit it before the posting disappears is a big gamble.

Some people are rock stars of last-minute holiday shopping, but others procrastinate until they find themselves buying whatever’s available just to say that they bought something.  Would you rather receive a thoughtful, personalized gift, or one that seems like more of an obligation?  The same strategy applies to job applications.  Don’t waste your opportunity to send a hiring manager a real gift—a well-thought-out resume that shows him or her exactly how much you want that job!