Queenie42 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Hey all, I'm after a little advice about job applications. The whole jobseeking process has changed so much over the years and I fear I'm a bit out of touch. Specifically, when a company specifies that applications should be made online, would they still appreciate you showing up at their offices in person? I've just finished my Masters degree and I'm hoping for a full time job in my field and in my area. There are a bunch of good companies locally and none are advertising vacant positions, but I figure it couldn't hurt to ask for casual or even volunteer experience. The thing is, most of these places actually have their head offices in other cities, so when I do an online or postal application the local office probably wouldn't have a clue about it, it all goes to the central HR office on the other side of the country. I'm not sure if it would be worthwhile (or if it'd just be annoying) popping into the office in person in that case. I'd rather do things face-to-face, but I wonder, is it better to just let them do their thing, with me sending my application to the head office and hoping it finds its way? Or should I try and apply to the local office directly, providing the ol' personal touch, even though that may not be the way they like to handle things? Link to post Share on other sites
CarrieT Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I would say most DO NOT want you to show up in person, uninvited at least... The way of the world now is through networking; do you know anyone that works at the companies you are interested in? Are you on LinkedIn? Cold Calling = Desperation... Link to post Share on other sites
Author Queenie42 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Thanks, Carrie. I had been getting that impression but I appreciate the confirmation! Up until very recently my boyfriend did casual work for one of these places, apparently he's told them all about me It sounds like a great place to work and I'm hoping I can fill his space. I only worry that since they aren't advertising any vacancies my application mightn't go very far. However, there are other consulting companies near which are pretty small (too small to even have a website) so they will require a more direct approach and it'll be fairly easy to get into contact with their hiring managers. I haven't really looked at LinkedIn, but the only other time I've ever been jobsearching I was fresh out of high school! But now that I've got something more than my high school grades to show off I can start taking networking a bit more seriously. Link to post Share on other sites
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