Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
The 2-Hour Job Search
Summary of 8 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 8
Simply applying to job postings online won’t lead to a job.
The British writer Aldous Huxley once said that “technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.” This statement is renewed tenfold when it comes to job-hunting online.
You’d think that with the invention of the internet, finding a job would be simple. After all, you can open any browser, go to Indeed.com, and apply to scores of job postings with minimal effort. But, as anyone who has spent hours firing off those applications will tell you, you could apply to a hundred vacancies and not hear back from a single one.
Why? Well, companies are often swamped by all kinds of applicants – including unsuitable ones who are desperate for any work. They may or may not even see your application, and definitely don’t have time to respond to each one.
The key message here is: Simply applying to job postings online won’t lead to a job.
The internet was supposed to liberate us, wasn’t it? It was the great information superhighway that would lead us toward greater convenience. In the case of finding work, it has only complicated things.
In the past, if you wanted a job, you looked for vacancies in the local newspaper or at a job fair. Your other option was to go from employer to employer, handing out resumés. Applying for a vacancy meant taking the time to print out your resume and delivering it in person or by mail. The effort required meant that businesses received far fewer applicants. And those applicants often did their research on the employer and thus knew that they were suited to the jobs for which they were applying.
Now that anyone with access to the internet can simply apply, many businesses list openings online as a formality. It’s too much effort to sift through thousands of applications. More often than not, the job will go to someone already working for the company.
So why do we continue to apply online in this unfocused way? Well, when you’re unemployed, applying for work – any work – can make you feel like you’ve achieved something. You can say to yourself, At least the day wasn’t wasted! It’s also a way of saving face, since being unemployed can make us feel ashamed in front of family and friends.
Sadly, for most people applying for jobs online, the wait will go on. But fear not: In these blinks, we’ll look at what you can do to land your next role in a more measured way.
Want to see all full key ideas from The 2-Hour Job Search?
Key ideas in The 2-Hour Job Search
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The 2-Hour Job Search about?
The 2-Hour Job Search (2012) empowers job seekers with a step-by-step, prescriptive approach that simplifies the matter of finding work. Author Steve Dalton leverages modern technological tools, like LinkedIn, Google, and Microsoft Excel, as well as alumni lists, to help you narrow your search and find internal advocates at your target employers.
Who should read The 2-Hour Job Search?
- Job seekers of any kind
- Recruiters looking to learn about a new method of job hunting
- Anyone interested in successful networking
Categories with The 2-Hour Job Search
Books like The 2-Hour Job Search
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
28 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers