A colleague
of mine, David Belsky, runs an IT
placement firm out of Southern California
called Jobspring Partners. He has been hearing a lot from
candidates lately about the inefficiencies of the job boards and the screening
process in general and has shared some great thoughts on what you can do about
it.
" I see the same postings over and over
again... "
“ I sent 50 resumes out already and nothing has come
of it…”
" I apply to a job that is a perfect match and I
don't hear back..."
Sound familiar? Then you are just one of many frustrated
candidates dealing with today's internet job search. There's been a growing decentralization of the job posting universe due to all the new boards and institutionalization of corporate career pages. Add to this an
overly automated application process and you have difficult situation for today's job seeker.
Recruitment technology is a great thing for companies. It offers them cost savings (by leveraging these tools to cut
back on or eliminate man power needed) and the promise of better results (a more expansive database
of resumes).
But where’s the value proposition for you, the candidate?
Where does all this technology leave you? In the proverbial
“haystack”, that’s where. Today’s candidates are at the mercy of the keyword in
a Boolean string or the 10 second glance of Recruiter. Sad, but true.
It’s just too easy to get lost in the shuffle. Here are some
things you can do to make sure your background gets noticed.
-
Begin in your own
backyard - Professional & personal networks will always be
your best secret weapon. Why? Because you have a lot more to offer
than just the words on your resume (and your network will know what these
things are). So begin your job search with who you know: former and
current colleagues, business associates, acquaintances and family. Pump out
some emails and phone calls to your entire network to describe what your core
strengths are and what you are looking for in a new job. If any of you
have ever read Malcolm Gladwell’s books, this means being a "maven" for
your job search and transposing this idea on as many potential
"connectors" as possible. Think about your job search as a marketing
challenge. You need to research who your buyers are, get in the hands of the right people and sell
yourself. Because of the relationships you have in your network, not only will the people you know be the
most knowledgeable about what you do, they will also be the most motivated to
make an introduction for you. Some companies even offer referral
bonuses. So they may even walk away with some cash for their good deed in helping
you out. Your first step is to connect with your network about your search. If you are not conducting a confidential search, you should consider sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and even Outlook tools to facilitate broadcasting your information.
-
Getting by the
“goalie” - One of the biggest mysteries about
the job search is what happens to a resume once it is submitted.
Shockingly, a lot less than you think. In fact, the truth is that the only
resumes that make it through to the hiring manager are simply the ones that
were the easiest to screen. Remember that the HR person or applicant tracking system is faced with the
daunting task of sorting through literally hundreds (thousands!) of electronic
resumes everyday. The majority of resumes they see are typically “no’s”. So it’s only
natural that this task then becomes a process of elimination as opposed to a proactive hunt for why someone is a fit. Here are some
numbers to keep in mind. For any one job, a recruiter may view hundreds of
resumes, but they only contact maybe 15-20 to phone screen, only interview 8-10
and, of course, only hire one. As you can see, getting into the “touch”
zone (where the company makes actual contact) is important. Maybe you are perfectly qualified,
but your resume could end up on the no list very easily based on any number of “red flags”
on your resume such as (unexplained or elongated gaps in job history, out of state address, perception
that you are overqualified, unattractive format, lack of necessary detail,
absence of critical buzzwords, stated salary expectations that are too high,
etc). Any of these things will prevent your resume from seeing the light of day. Your second step is to make sure your resume looks perfect and has no red flags so that it is guaranteed to get sail past the "goalie".
-
Dealing with
“falsies” – One of the other reasons you aren’t hearing back on
some jobs is that the job may not be open. Companies “rent” job slots from the
major job boards. For example: Company A has three slots purchased
to put what ever job description they want on the board at any given
time. If there is not an active need at the moment, Company A doesn’t want
this money spent to go to waste. They will then put up a general posting for a
popular skill set to simply collect resumes for a rainy day. Another
scenario is that the job is open, but the manager already has someone in mind for it. Since the company has a policy to post
every opening until it is filled, this will show up as active. In this instance,
while the job is open, there is really no intention on seeing any more applicants. If you feel you are an excellent fit and don't hear back, take matters into your own hands and call the company (contacting either the HR person or the direct hiring manager if you can determine who this is). Simply state you case. You have nothing to lose. Your third step is to not get discouraged and take it personally when they don't contact you for a job. It may have very little to nothing to do with you. If possible, try to put a phone call into a contact person for this job and sell yourself.
Understand how the recruitment process has changed and make sure you are playing offense to put yourself in a position of strength. Best of luck in your search!
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