Good or Bad? Posting a resume on a company website
A client is off on her job search and sent me this quick question:
Some corporate websites offer candidates the opportunity to submit their resumes even if there aren’t any current opportunities that fit. Any opinion on uploading a copy of my resume to their “pool”? Good? Bad? Neutral?
My answer:
If it’s a company you are interested in working for, I think it’s a good idea to upload your resume along with a “cover letter” type note that indicates the type of work you’re looking for, a good place to use your intention statement. You want to be as much in the driver’s seat as possible. Make the cover note page 1 of the resume and indicate that experience follows on page 2.
An even better strategy:
For companies you want to work for, a better strategy is to see if you can connect with someone there and get an informational interview to find out more about the company, especially its culture since that is so important.
There are 2 different ways to find people at a company.
Search on LinkedIn for the company page, then look at People and seek out your 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections who currently work there. The higher level, the better. Some companies give people bonuses for referring candidates who are subsequently hired. That means it’s in their interest to give you 20 minutes of their time! Use the script in the Intention Statement post to frame your request.
You also can just search for the company and people who work or have worked there, using search criteria of 1st and 2nd degree connections.
It’s likely you’ll get a positive response when you ask for just 20 minutes of someone’s time to learn more about the company. 20 minutes is long enough to get substantive information, yet not so long as to be an imposition. Bonus incentive: the other person gets 10 minutes to do something else. Make sure you respect the 20 minute limit!
