The shotgun approach

In today’s competitive market, getting a job can be a stressful experience. After a while, desperation can kick in and the temptation to hedge your bets can become overwhelming. Often job seekers succumb to using the shotgun approach by applying for every job in sight! Out of sheer panic you fire off a barrage of CV’s/applications in the hope that at least one will hit the target.

In the past when the job market was healthy, you could get away with this strategy. I remember doing this myself, idly sat behind a computer sending off the same CV to any jobs that took my fancy.

The problem with this approach is that if you are applying for 20 jobs a day there is no way that you have the time to tailor your application. When the market is as competitive as it is today, it’s crucial that you tweak and change your CV to suit the role that you’re going for. Using the same CV for a range of applications is unlikely to work.

Rather than using the shotgun approach, become the ‘sniper’ of the job seeking world. Cut the number of applications you are making down to a few per day, and hone in on the roles that match your skills. If you do this you will have more time to make your application fit and in turn you’ll have more chance of landing that all important job.

So, the next time you are going to apply for a job give yourself some time and remember these 3 things.

• Apply for jobs that match your experience and skills
• Research the company and role that you’re interested in
• Enure that you can give the application the time that it deserves and tailor your CV to the role

 Have you been applying for every job under the sun? Or, are you struggling to find any jobs to apply for?

 Get involved with the discussion and let us know how you’re doing.