Online Job Application and Resume Submission Is A Matchmaking Process

Times have changed and so has the way your medical assistant resume is submitted to potential employers. Where some decades ago application letters and resumes were handwritten on fine paper with a small wallet size photograph similar to a passport photo attached, the typewriter eventually replaced the ink pen.

 Then, resumes were typed on resume paper, often containing linen or cotton fibers with matching envelopes, sent by mail. Today, where most jobs are advertised on the Internet, resumes sent by mail are replaced and outdone by resumes submitted electronically via email. Online application forms have replaced the written resume and often go to the front of the line when properly submitted. Those who are still combing the Sunday Classifieds and faxing, or mailing their resumes to HR departments are no longer reaching recruiters and hiring managers in a timely manner. There are now thousands of job boards and other places where medical assistant jobs are advertised.

With the Internet and easy access to computers and mobile devices, even at the workplace, everything has changed. Online job boards (Monster, DICE, Job.com, Indeed, CareerBuilder, etc.) have replaced the classifieds as the "matchmaker" for candidates and available jobs. Companies that use the job boards have built entire infrastructures around posting jobs and receiving, sorting and sifting resumes. If you use one of these online job boards to submit your resume it may also be cross-posted on their major partner sites to help you get better exposure and a greater response. Also, it allows employers and recruiters to match you to jobs you didn't even know were available. By creating your account through major online job boards you will be able to access and modify your personal information as needed.

Vacant positions for medical assistants advertised will feature information about the position, including employer's expectations, job summary, salary, geographic location, essential qualifications, merit criteria and other important messages. This is your cue. When filling out your application use the wording used in the ad to match your qualifications, skills, expectations and anything else you are bringing to the table as close as possible to the ad; don't hesitate to copy and paste. Many utilize automated word recognition and screening software and if your application doesn't match the job to a "Tee" it will get dropped right into an automated resume database without a recruiter ever looking at it.

Staffing and recruitment specialists work away from the public's eye; you don't know them and they don't know you. To put the odds in your favor state three or more reasons why you should be chosen for an interview. If you are multilingual and have multicultural experience through a job, sports or leisure activity, mention it! Show that you can get along in a community, even under stressful conditions. Show that you are adaptable and can deal with unplanned events in specific, or unexpected situations.

Should you have a personal contact name and email address and you decide to email your resume to a hiring manager then remember:

• carefully choose the subject line for your email 
• send directly to hiring managers and recruiters 
• use your main email address (and don't use a silly name) 
• attach a personal cover letter (MS Word document or PDF)
  

Unless you have carefully read the job description for the position and match your application and resume accordingly efforts are pretty much a numbers game. No matter how qualified you may be, no matter how many hours you spend combing the job boards it won't work unless you know how to make the online job application process work, and work it to your advantage.

Don't be tempted or persuaded to use a so-called resume blaster service; it isn't personal and job specific enough and it gets recognized by receiving email systems as a "blasted" resume and filed in the bin for later use (if that much). You can pay $69, $99, $129, or more for these services but do not provide the edge you sought. Your resume is just lost in the pack of hundreds of indistinguishable other candidates.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.