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Give me the Pre-Internet era any time. Back in that day, people were hired sometimes a day after (or even the day of!) the interview. The supervisor had a lot more say in who was hired. Today, it's so impersonal, plus it's about who you know, etc.
I see both eras as good times to be a job seeker. You've given some of the pros of the Pre-Internet. They're legitimate. I guess I could look at the other side.
The advantage today is that it's easier to stand out from the pack. Fewer people print out their resumes on nice paper and submit them via postal mail in full size envelopes with cover letters signed with a real signature. Fewer people write custom cover letters, going through each job duty in the description with a comparison on how it matches your skill set. More job hunters today use the "Easily Apply" button on Indeed with canned cover letters, so the ones who put in the extra effort stand out.
I prefer Pre-internet as well. Gone are the days when you could pick up your local paper, find some jobs of interest and fax out your resume. What I find most annoying about filling out internet applications are that some of the bigger companies require you to log in and create a password just to fill out a job application. I stopped doing that after realizing in most of those cases I never heard back from the company anyway. And the length of time to fill some of them out is crazy. There was one application to a very big company that actually took me over 2 hours to fill out. I really miss the old days. And in some cases you could walk into a place and apply right there. It was very different.
I prefer Pre-internet as well. Gone are the days when you could pick up your local paper, find some jobs of interest and fax out your resume. What I find most annoying about filling out internet applications are that some of the bigger companies require you to log in and create a password just to fill out a job application. I stopped doing that after realizing in most of those cases I never heard back from the company anyway. And the length of time to fill some of them out is crazy. There was one application to a very big company that actually took me over 2 hours to fill out. I really miss the old days. And in some cases you could walk into a place and apply right there. It was very different.
The ones that require you to create a username and password annoy me too. It's like am I really going to be logging in enough to justify creating an account? Pretty much never.
I see both eras as good times to be a job seeker. You've given some of the pros of the Pre-Internet. They're legitimate. I guess I could look at the other side.
The advantage today is that it's easier to stand out from the pack. Fewer people print out their resumes on nice paper and submit them via postal mail in full size envelopes with cover letters signed with a real signature. Fewer people write custom cover letters, going through each job duty in the description with a comparison on how it matches your skill set. More job hunters today use the "Easily Apply" button on Indeed with canned cover letters, so the ones who put in the extra effort stand out.
That's assuming the extra effort gets you somewhere.
If I have an opening for a network engineer, Talent Acquisition posts it on the Internet. You wouldn't know I'm the hiring manager nor would you even know what office I'm in to send the resume to. You don't know my correct title, so you couldn't even generically address the envelope that way. Sure you could send the resume into HR at corporate HQ, but that's likely a black hole. In my example, that's in a completely different state.
If by some minor miracle it does get to me, I might make note of the fact that you took some extra effort to get my attention, but I'd also take note of the fact that by not following the proscribed process you jeopardized your chances and only got through by sheer luck. I'd probably wonder if you'd do that on the job too. That wouldn't be a benefit. Then, when it comes down to brass tacks, I'm going to consider what kind of experience you bring to the table, not the weight of the paper you sent it on.
Now I know it sounds like I'm trying to burst your bubble. I'm really not. I'll bet that in a smaller company, or in other types of jobs, your idea is outstanding. The problem for a job seeker is, how do you know what route to take?
That's assuming the extra effort gets you somewhere.
If I have an opening for a network engineer, Talent Acquisition posts it on the Internet. You wouldn't know I'm the hiring manager nor would you even know what office I'm in to send the resume to. You don't know my correct title, so you couldn't even generically address the envelope that way. Sure you could send the resume into HR at corporate HQ, but that's likely a black hole. In my example, that's in a completely different state.
If by some minor miracle it does get to me, I might make note of the fact that you took some extra effort to get my attention, but I'd also take note of the fact that by not following the proscribed process you jeopardized your chances and only got through by sheer luck. I'd probably wonder if you'd do that on the job too. That wouldn't be a benefit. Then, when it comes down to brass tacks, I'm going to consider what kind of experience you bring to the table, not the weight of the paper you sent it on.
Now I know it sounds like I'm trying to burst your bubble. I'm really not. I'll bet that in a smaller company, or in other types of jobs, your idea is outstanding. The problem for a job seeker is, how do you know what route to take?
Agreed. For larger companies, it's not the way. I'm more a small company guy.
I say now might be better for 1 big reason: Planning Relocation.
If i decide to move to Las Vegas,Nevada,I could fill out applications and email resumes for jobs in Nevada from the comfort of my home on the East Coast.
Plus,once i fly to the interview,i would know in 2 weeks if i got the job or not from the comfort of my home on the East Coast.
I used to go to a university library to look at the classified adds in major city newspapers, as well as look at the classified adds in trade journals.
I see both eras as good times to be a job seeker. You've given some of the pros of the Pre-Internet. They're legitimate. I guess I could look at the other side.
The advantage today is that it's easier to stand out from the pack. Fewer people print out their resumes on nice paper and submit them via postal mail in full size envelopes with cover letters signed with a real signature. Fewer people write custom cover letters, going through each job duty in the description with a comparison on how it matches your skill set. More job hunters today use the "Easily Apply" button on Indeed with canned cover letters, so the ones who put in the extra effort stand out.
While I'm not a hiring manager, I screen candidates to forward to the hiring managers good potentials. I don't care what kind of paper the resume is printed on. I also never read cover letters.
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