Job boards- an excercise in futility

I got my job through linkedin its definitely not "an exercise in futility". You have to remember that the vast majority of those applicants have no shot whatsoever. I guess I should rephrase that its not worthless if you have a relatively solid resume

shit I'm screwed really regretting what happened in my previous interviews

That's not true.... The recruiters use programs to sift through those 1000+ resumes, so make sure yours is well structured and uses plug words. I have got multiple interviews by simply applying on their websites or job boards (and Im not from an Ivy). It may seem like bad odds, but 98% of those resumes are probably shit. Plus, what's the risk?? It takes like 2seconds-10minutes per job.

Just have to put the best foot forward. Get your resume reviewed by WSO Resume Review on here, and put the time into your cover letter instead of just changing the name of the firm. Something's gonna hit eventually.

I like everyone's sunny demeanor...

Truth is, despite all the filters in the world, there are in fact kids out there with relevant experience and/or excellent credentials. Its easy to imagine that of that huge stack, 25% of these individuals are from a target or have relevant exp. and that probably 10% have some variation of both. So youre telling me that there are 100 odd reallly strong resumes in this stack?

Look, I have also rcv'd a job offer from an online posting, but I can tell you that all experiences are not the same. And although most only took me 5-10 mins to complete, you can easily spend (waste) hours online looking for that perfect role.

One of the best things you can do in your job search is to look for unadvertised openings and call the place. Look for firms that have hired analysts in the past and call them to get your resume on file. I've had four interviews just from doing this. Another good thing to do - find the posting and try and get in contact with someone at the place. It makes your resume stand out and you're way more likely to get an interview...

Don't dismiss applying online completely, though. If your resume is decent you will get a few looks.

It's about increasing your odds, that's it. That's what it's all about.

If you have a great resume you can get a good response rate. I've had several interviews, with probably a 30-40% response rate. I'm from a complete non-target and am not looking in a saturated market like NY though. I do agree that personal connections are a much better way to get interviews and try to do that when I can.

i wouldnt say your odds are too bad..out of those 1000 resumes theres probably 50 that went to a target and had solid work experience. If you have a solid resume/cover letter then you should stand a chance of getting an interview. the entire process of applying takes 10 minutes anyway what do you have to lose?

Agreed. I wouldn't be discouraged by the LinkedIn counter, they definitely do sift through resumes. I've found more success in going on LinkedIn to see who's hiring and try to find a potential contact (alum, mutual connection etc) and see if they could drop my resume for me. I've landed an interview this way.

I remember I was applying to the 1st year analyst position (graduate program) in BB in Moscow and after two recruiting rounds (CV screening + tests) around 130 candidates were still remaining. 130 after two rounds. How many applied then? 2000?