Should you apply for multiple jobs in a company? Better to focus on the right one

Q: I am interested in unrelated positions within a company. I'm not sure whether to apply for each separately, or to submit a resume and explain in a cover letter that I am interested in them all. Would the recruiter think that I'm indecisive and not concentrated on what I would like to do? If I apply for just one position could that count me out for the others?

NICK'S REPLY: The ease with which the Internet allows people to apply for dozens of jobs at a time has spawned a real problem. It distracts people from the true challenge of job change. The question should not be, "How can I apply for lots of jobs at once?" It must be, "Which job is right for me and how can I prove that to the manager?"

I think you need to figure out why you're interested in each position, what you think you could contribute to each one, and then rank-order no more than three jobs. Hold off on sending out resumes until you confirm your interest and the fit. I'd contact the manager of each department at this company and explain, first, your interest in the company as a whole. Then ask for advice about how you could learn more about that manager's operation, departmental functions and products. Ask about each of the jobs.

Finally, select the job you want most, and start by pursuing that one. By this time you may not need a resume, because you will have established substantive contact with the key managers. That is how a job search ought to be conducted.

I'm betting that even though you think you're interested in all those jobs, there's one in which you'd be able to contribute the most. Go after that one. This will enhance your credibility. At the same time, your initial contacts with each of the managers may lead one or more of them to call you back for a job in their departments. It's better to plant the seeds and let them come to you.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Go around.

Does your manager promote your career? Apply this test to your boss. Does he:

-- Direct you, or listen to you?

-- Keep you doing the same work, or assign progressively more challenging tasks?

-- Restrict discussions to the department's business, or regularly talk about the company's bigger picture?

-- Tell you you're doing a great job, or encourage you to take risks and make mistakes?

-- Keep you hidden in his department, or show you off to managers in other departments?

-- Act like he's happy as a standing pool of water, or does he like to make waves?

If your boss leans more toward the first behavior in each pair, your career is in trouble. The indifferent boss is like a tree: He grows deep roots and won't budge. That means your career is in trouble. The solution is to find other good mentors in your company.

Just go around.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.