Be at the beginning of the line. Get hired faster.

What goes on behind the curtains of the hiring decision is usually murky for those that are job seeking. Most of the times, we apply to a job and hope that the application lands in the right hands. What really is going behind this curtain? We’re going to go behind the curtains and show you the work that recruiters are a part of, and.. how you can use this to get hired faster!

Be the first in line.

It’s simple. To get hired faster, your goal should be to eliminate time wasted in scrolling through old job applications. You want to apply to fresh jobs- the fresher the better. You may say, well what if I’m qualified for this listing, but it’s 3 weeks old? Does this mean I should pass it by? By all means, apply to it! But if you’re in a job search with very limited time (which most job seekers have), and you’re seeking efficiency, it really increases your chances of getting hired if you mainly target new listings.

Why is it important to apply to fresh jobs?

When you apply to a job early, you’re casting your hook at a time when the fish are hungry and biting. Here is what goes on at the recruiter’s side:

The recruiter’s goal is to get a hire completed as fast as possible. Their goal is to bring a candidate to the employer and move on to their next recruiting assignment. So what this means is, if they find good enough candidates in the first 1-2 weeks of a job posting, they’ll move on to interviews. Once they find qualified candidates from the interviews, they’ll bring these people to the employer for a final hiring decision. What happens to those who find the job posting 2 weeks past the posting date? These later applications don’t get read.

A StartWire survey conducted amongst new hires show that 50% of new hires applied within the first week of a job posting.

Where can you apply to fresh jobs?

There are job listings that show you exactly how many hours or days ago that the job was posted.  StartWire’s also taken upon itself to only post job listings that are 2 weeks old.  Results from the StartWire survey also inspired the creation of StartWire’s Express Apply Jobs, which allow all job seekers to quickly locate a job of interest, and then apply within 60 seconds.  Once a resume is uploaded to their StartWire account, the Express Apply feature sends their resume directly to the employer without needing to fill out any job applications. How’s that for efficiency?

Another great tip is to sign up for job alerts. Most job search sites send job alerts when new openings come out. Ever see an interesting job and put off applying thinking it’ll still be there?  Next time you see a new listing, don’t procrastinate! Apply as soon as possible. It just might be your next job.