Whatever Happened to my Resume? Can http://www.resumebear.com Help Me?
Astronomers define a black hole as a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape. I have often heard job seekers refer to the application process as a “black hole where resumes go, never to be heard from again”. Did you ever wonder why this is? Considering the frustration that can result from the online application process, I would like to shed some light on what really happens when you apply online. Not only will this provide you with an effective strategy to increase the odds of getting your resume into the right hands, but it might actually increase your level of sympathy for the HR professionals around town – ok, maybe just a little!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BOL), there are 6 job seekers for every opening. This is the worst ratio on record since the government starting tracking these numbers in 2000 and compares to a ratio of 1.6 to 1 in mid-2006. To gain an understanding of how this imbalance affects the hiring process, let’s take a look at what happens when a new job is posted.
Today, each new job posting elicits an average of 300-400 resumes. Some companies use software that automatically screens resumes for relevant key words. However, most ( ex.San Diego companies) use an actual person to screen resumes. Therefore, assuming the average HR professional spends 20 seconds reviewing each resume, they are committing over 2 hours to the identification of the top 5-10 resumes. Multiply this by 10 or 20 positions – the average number of openings managed by each HR professional – and they wind up spending 20 – 40 hours just screening resumes!
And for those of you who know people in the HR profession, screening resumes is far from their favorite pastime! Keep in mind that this same individual is most likely responsible for tracking and organizing these applications through their applicant tracking system (ATS) which, in some cases, is nothing more than a file folder, an excel spreadsheet, ACT! or a simple Outlook file.
It is now time to divide the resumes into the proverbial “A pile” and “B pile”. In some instances, there are literally two piles and in other cases, applicants are tagged as “hot prospect” (A) or “reject” (B) in the ATS. The all-powerful “A pile” represents candidates that were referred by an employee or “friend of the firm” and in some cases, it also includes the top 3-5% of online applicants. These “A pile” candidates will receive further consideration and perhaps even a phone call. The dreaded “B pile”, however, consists of the remaining resumes that will never again see the light of day! Unfortunately, if you were not able to secure an introduction into the firm, if you did not customize your resume to include the relevant key words, or if your resume does not offer that initial “wow factor”, chances are you will be sent to the “B pile”.
Once these piles are created, depending on the company, the HR professional will take one of two steps: she will either present these “A candidates” to the hiring manager for review or she will conduct an initial phone screen (in today’s market, the majority of first interviews are conducted by phone). Now the fun really begins! The next challenge facing the HR professional is whether or not the hiring manager provided enough detail and metrics to evaluate the applicants.
Assuming the answer is yes – and this is a big assumption – the HR professional then presents his recommendations to the hiring manager to determine which candidates will make it to the holy grail of job search – the in-person interview! Now the waiting begins. This waiting period may span from a few hours (not likely) to several weeks (a bit extreme). Once the decisions are made, the process continues with interviews, feedback, questions, more interviews, references, salary negotiations, background checks and finally – hopefully – an offer.
Meanwhile, back on the resume front, for those individuals whose resumes did not make it to the “A pile”, your poor resume is still sitting all alone in the company’s ATS, on their desk, in a file folder or in someone’s inbox. The odds of you getting an email – or heaven forbid an actual phone call – thanking you for taking the time to apply are minimal at best. In fact, while a few “best in class” companies will respond to each and every applicant, the average response rate to an online job application is less than 5%!
The first question, then, becomes: what can you do to ensure your resume doesn’t wind up alone in the “B pile”?
1. Apply only to those jobs where you possess 85% or more of the requirements
2. Customize each resume to include every key word that is mentioned in the job description
3. Develop a headline that provides a “wow factor”, uniquely defining your area of expertise
4. Create 3 or 4 key sentences at the top of your resume to highlight your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
5. Focus on promotions, results and direct contributions, not responsibilities and tasks
The second question, and the one rarely considered, is: what can you do to ease the pain of the HR professional?
1. Focus on securing an introduction to the company through a mutual colleague; contact the hiring manager and/or HR professional to leverage the contact and get yourself on the radar screen
2. Clearly indicate how your skills match up with the job requirements – don’t make them search for your relevant skills
3. If you are unable to secure an introduction, call the HR professional and/or hiring manager 2 days after sending your resume, to ensure it was received; during this call, acknowledge that you are aware of the volume of resumes they have received, and request “5 minutes to provide 3 factors” that will demonstrate your fit for the position
4. Send a thank you/follow up card by mail to the HR and/or hiring manager reminding them of the “3 factors”
5. Develop a campaign to follow up with the HR and/or hiring manager on a weekly basis
While the job market continues to have its challenges, developing and maintaining a consistent strategy will greatly increase your odds of getting your resume into the “A pile”. Today’s job market is about visibility and differentiation
Is there any chance that making the phone call in item number three might be perceived as an annoyance? (Given, especially, that HR is sorting through so many candidates?) Also is it just me or is getting through to HR sometimes a challenge in itself? Many ads say “no calls please” and the last time I tried, the receptionist gave me the third degree.
Some good tips. Unfortunately I believe the 85% match rule was a better probability a few years ago when the market wasn’t as flooded with people as it is today. In today’s market with many departments already running on what could be best described as overworked “skeleton crews”, companies seem less reluctant to train the remaining 15% if you will. Myself and others have come across this lack of flexibility time and time again — even on temp jobs. Something as not having been fortunate to work within the employers industry is a major strike against you these days, the second would be company specific software like say Essbase vs Oracle experience. If you weren’t fortunate enough to use the software the company uses, well that’s strike two. The last strike may be one specific skillset say something like a report being prepared in a certain way or for a specific audience. These once trainable points are now MUST HAVE items in most descriptions and since most companies may already be short handed they only want candidates that are ready made like some PC you order online. In other words, if you did not have the good luck to gather any of these points in your career travels…then you may as wellbe looked at as having only a 15% match to the position.
Being pro-active, and persistant is much more effective than just rolling the dice and hoping your number comes up.
Awesome post, I had my first “phoner” today and I was frankly put off by the fact that I had to do this but now I understand the process, I feel a whole lot better.
THANK YOU!
I’m sure these tips will be very helpful to help candidates stand out from the crowd, plus a good Klout score!
I really need to update mine. I have relied on my website, but need to spruce up the resume as well.
Fantastic post with valuable insights. My resume does include a headline, followed by keyword specific sub-titles and another trick I do is use the same working I find in the online ad inside the resume. So if a robot is reading my resume, it might pull me out of the pile.
Good advice, thank you.
Finding a job is more than a full-time job these days. In addition to all these great suggestions, it is also important to keep your Social Media profiles updated. And now it is also suggested that you pay attention to your Klout score, since this could end up being a factor in hiring.
Simply the Best online job search help!
Excellent advice. It’s so competitive right now. You need to do everything you can to make yourself stand out!
Great ideas!!
Of course it does, no one is hiring middle-aged white guys right now….
You share some great strategies here on how to increase your chances of getting “screened in for a job.” I interview recruiters regularly for a blog I write, and they almost always say that applying only for jobs that you match 85% or more of the requirements really does increase your chances.
Another way to get feedback that is easy — check out StartWire, a free site. Let StartWire know where you’ve applied, give your permission to check — and they will you send you updates on your job application status via email and text. (The service is currently available for over 5,000 companies, these status updates are generally only available if you log back into the website where you originally applied to the job. StartWire checks this for you.)
You can sign up for StartWire here:
http://www.startwire.com/s/gethired