Why communicate via the “pony express” when e-mail service is available? The answer is that you wouldn’t if you valued your job application.

Yet, in this high tech age of the Internet, roughly 99% of all golf course superintendent job candidates are submitting hard copy applications via the U.S. Mail. This doesn’t make sense because submitting job applications electronically presents the following unique advantages:

1. The job application can be transmitted and instantly received by the club/course for immediate dissemination to each member of the search committee.
2. Early dissemination to search committee members virtually guarantees that a job application can/will be read one at a time within a non-pressurized environment by each search committee member. The benefits of submitting job applications electronically well before the closing date are:

a.   Worthy applications will be mentally placed into a “keeper file” guaranteeing an interview.

b.   Such applications will avoid being “stock-piled” to be read hurriedly after the closing date often along with 100-plus other applications  – a “crap-shoot” process that too often denies well-qualified candidates an interview based on merit.

c.   Such applications maximize the opportunity for search committee members to evaluate the merits of candidates’ career web sites simply by clicking onto a candidate’s submitted career web site address. (Reminder: roughly 60% of all interview opportunities are assigned to candidates who have submitted a career web site address within their job application.)

The above approach also avoids the need for search committee members to key in candidates’ web site e-mail addresses, which they either often fail to do, or do too fast and furiously to provide adequate review time when reviewing so many hard copy applications after the closing date. Either way, it appears that…

…the only way a candidate can ensure that his/her web site will be thoroughly and calmly evaluated is to submit it within an electronic application.

d.   Such applications allow candidates to request (via an accompanying cover letter) the information and data needed to prepare and submit a plan of action electronically well before interview time vis-à-vis the present too often seen practice of hand delivering hard copy plans of action at the beginning of each interview – an approach that virtually guarantees that these plans of action will be put aside and not read.

Guidelines Instructions: to cover all the bases, candidates should: (i) call the office of the target club/course to advise that both hard copy and e-mail versions of job applications are being submitted; and (ii) request that, upon receipt, e-mail job applications be forwarded to each member of the search committee. (Also, confirm re: these two matters within the cover letter.)

It should be clear that submitting job applications electronically presents a candidate’s job application in the best possible light; thereby significantly enhancing a candidate’s opportunity to be interviewed and eventually hired.

Because only one superintendent in one hundred is currently submitting a job application electronically – the opportunity presents itself for judicious job applicants to “pre-empt” the field when applying for a job in this declining economy. It’s your call.

To advance a career an individual must communicate his/her thinking and accomplishments to the outside world. Otherwise, no one will know or care about the person or his/her career. As a result, career stagnation results.

The key question to be answered is how effectively and how far and wide individuals communicate to advance their careers? The reality of the situation is that most golf course superintendents do very little to advance their careers until a job opening occurs and then they rely almost exclusively on the following last minute approaches:

1.   The Interview Process: a standard but always necessary limited approach of job-communicating with the following restrictions: first, candidates talk to only the handful of people on a search committee; and then, often misspeak when under pressure leaving no permanent record – for better or worse – of what transpired.

2.   The Resume Process: another standard but necessary limited approach of job communicating with the following restrictions: first, the resume is limited to roughly 500 to 1,000 words and is only seen, once again, by the handful of people on a search committee; and then, the resume’s life cycle ends immediately when a candidate for a job is hired.

(Roughly 98% of all job applicants across the country unfortunately and to their careers’ detriment stop here and make no further effort to communicate in an attempt to advance their careers.)

3.   The Career Web Site Process: a recently developing dynamic process that by-passes the key negatives of the interview and resume processes. Still, despite a proven ability to earn jobs, only one superintendent in five has a prepared web site in hand.

Clearly, an analysis of the above three approaches confirms that most superintendents do very little “pre-preparation” to advance their careers. Accordingly, where should superintendents turn to effectively remedy this flaw in their career-advancing makeup? The one true complete answer is to write well with some frequency because . . .

. . . writing creates a permanent, quality-controlled recallable record that can be read by hundreds, up to tens of thousands of people. There is no more effective link within a career web site than that which presents a series of a candidates’ published writings.”

Because quality writing does not come easily to most people, aspiring writers should read as much as possible/necessary to develop the deep word vocabulary needed to write fluently because . . .

. . . reading (fiction and non-fiction books – not newspapers) creates the ‘word bullets’ within our psyche that writers must rely on to express themselves effectively. If you don’t read with some frequency you will not write well.

Freely acknowledging that every writing need not address golf issues (i.e., community issues offer inviting opportunities, etc.), superintendents (and assistants) should look to write one published article a year: first, locally for the chapter newsletter/web site and other community outlets; then, regionally for golf and other publications; and finally – the ultimate test – nationally for golf and other outlets. The more superintendents move up this “publication ladder” the more effective they will be in advancing their careers at a time when a bad economy requires taking every advantage possible to sustain and grow a career.

There is no more exciting non-family situation in life than having something you have written that effectively expresses your unique point of view on a subject published for the world, your children and search committees to see. Effective writing commands the world’s attention.