This is the resume writing tip you have all been waiting for! You, as the job seeker, submit your resume online and it goes into the proverbial “black hole.” It is notoriously referred to as this because it seems that rarely do you get any kind of confirmation you information was received. This is a frustrating and painful method to find a job! Many employers use some form of applicant tracking system, or ATS. This is the initial screening process that you need to get through. Here’s how it works: you find a position through Indeed.com or Simplyhired.com and apply through that website. The ATS will sort your resume and rank it by how many keywords it recognizes on your resume compared to the job posting. The recruiter or hiring manager will only view those resumes that rank in the 95 percentile or above, which closely matches the job description. If your resume doesn’t make this cut, it will be summarily round filed, or discarded.
Let’s implement the resume writing tip of the week by providing you with a few methods to help you get results:
1) Do not apply via online job boards. Your resume will join the hundreds of others and proving difficult to score in the 95th percentile. Instead, find the job posting through the web and then apply directly through the company website. Your competition in this stack will be less and you will have a much better chance of being recognized.
2) Use appropriate keywords. In talking with recruiters and HR folks, the summary of the job description is where you want to focus your attention for these key words and phrases. You don’t want to repeat verbatim what you find on the posting, yet you do need to incorporate those words/phrases that stand out in the position.
3) Do not wait to follow up. Look at the closing date. Within 24 hours of that closing date, you need to make a call to follow up with the hiring manager/recruiter. If you wait longer than 72 hours, chances are that they have already chosen their top candidates to interview. You want to influence the process. Follow up early!
4) How do you follow up when no contact information is provided? Great question and one that I can spend a few different blog articles on. Suffice to say that social media has made it extremely easy to find people. LinkedIn is one of my favorite tools. Jigsaw is another. Between these two platforms, it should prove quick and easy to find an appropriate contact person.
5) The assumption with these resume writing tips is that you are applying for a position which you are qualified. Do not waste your time on Hail Mary opportunities. It may not cost you hard dollars, yet applying for positions that you are not suited for will cost you time, energy and effort that you need to be using on the right opportunities.
I have an active discussion in many forums including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter where I interact with unemployed professionals and talk about resume writing tips, and other helpful topics. I recognize how frustrating it is to apply for positions and never getting a response. The resume writing tip of the week is provided to help give you a leg up and earn better results from your activities. In addition to resume writing tips, I also provide guidance on personal branding, interviewing, networking and other activities to help you get back to work faster in your best fit job.
