Job Search Chronicles (Part 4)


Last Friday I had a coffee with my high school friend who has since retired.

We inevitably came around to the topic of my job search. 

My friend had one employer for his entire career.

He reminded me that when he was looking for a job, he knocked on the doors of a few companies and asked to fill out an employment application form.   

He found his one and only employer by going directly to the company and submitting an application form.

I wonder if there are many companies left where you can go and ask to fill out an application form?      
When I was working at Combined Insurance in Human Resources (2005 – 2013), application forms were available with the receptionist.   Candidates could come in, fill one out and talk to the receptionist. 

Does the Ontario Human Rights Code still reference application forms? 

Yes, they are referenced in Section 23(2) of the Code.

When I was recently at the Ontario Society of Senior Citizens Organizations (OSSCO), we had a few drop-in’s to the company.

A few sales representatives would drop in and hope to engage us with what they were selling.  They left a brochure and their calling card.  

A couple of years ago, I filled out an application form when I attended an interview at an employment agency, but mostly I’m not asked to fill out an application form. 
            
Application forms may not be used as widely as they once were, but the idea of going to a company and asking to fill out an application form was a way for a candidate to stand out.

Maybe like what sales representatives do now, we job seekers could go to a company and drop off our calling card (a.k.a. resume)?  

Or maybe we could ask for an informational interview. 

An old joke begins with:  “Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?”


Just maybe if we job seekers can think out-of-the-box and knock on a door (literally and figuratively) we may potentially be identifying our next opportunity!   


Also Published on LinkedIn on:  July 16, 2017
Image Credit:  Replica Map from "Romancing the Stone" (www.yourprops.com)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Launch

Image
I invite you to the launch of my new blog web site on the Blogger platform! I call my blog “The Positive Pathfinder.” You can find my blog here (URL = thepositivepathfinder.blogspot.com).  I wanted to expand my social media presence. I wanted to learn something new. And I wanted to set up a portfolio of my posts where I could direct potential employers to. After pondering 72 names over 2 days, I decided on calling my blog “The Positive Pathfinder.” First I’m a positive guy.  Also, I’m at a stage in life where I feel like I’m in flux. Don’t quite know what I’ll be doing, but I know I want to pursue some interests of mine, like setting up a blog web site (done) and taking an improv class (done and in progress). I am positive that I am not the only one who feels like they are in flux and so I am excited to continue to share my thoughts and experiences with you and to draw inspiration from your thoughts and experiences as well. We can learn and inspire each
Read more

Compound Interest (And Not the Financial Kind)

Image
I watched a movie on video yesterday called “Hello, My Name Is Doris” with Sally Field.  I would describe this movie as a dramedy where instead of boy meets girl and boy falls in love with girl, the movie turns things around where girl (Sally Field) meets boy (Max Greenfield) and girl falls in love with boy.  I liked this movie!  You can read a movie review from Variety  here .   One of the elements in the movie was Facebook where girl attempts to connect with boy on a personal level by going on Facebook and finding out about his interests.  The girl finds out that one of his interests is a particular electronica band.  By happenstance, the band would be playing at a local club, and she goes to the club in hopes of meeting the boy.  This reminds me about networking.  During face-to-face networking we try to find common ground.  We ask questions to find out what a person does, where they work or went to school.   We show interest in the other person by asking questions.  Mayb
Read more

Voice

Image
The other day a pensioner called at work. I happened to have picked up the phone.  He was very passionate, and I gathered that he wasn’t happy with the amount that he was receiving in old age pension. I asked if he called his MP’s constituency office. No, he hadn’t, because it wouldn’t help.    I sensed that this person didn’t feel that he had a voice when it came to his pension. Nowadays you hear headlines where robots are taking over jobs in the workplace. I think some employers would concur with the notion that employees should be seen rather than be heard. And like a robot they have no voice. For most of my working life, I went along with the notion that employees should be seen rather than be heard. In January 2013 I lost my job.     I found my job search to be a challenging time.  Out of resignation, really, I decided to write a LinkedIn post at a friend’s suggestion.   A light switch turned on when I wrote my very first po
Read more