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Don't Do These Three Things While Looking for a Job… PLEASE!

Written by: Roger Lear
Published on: Feb 25, 2019

Don't Do These Three Things

 

I love job seekers. The one thing I know about you is that you are good at what you do in your career. What most of you don’t understand is the job search process. It is not your fault since most schools and colleges don’t teach you the actual process; especially how to connect with each employer’s technology with an optimized resume.

That is why we write articles to help you. Hopefully, if you have been following our path over the years, you recognize we provide real information on all job search topics. This information comes directly from hundreds of employers, job seekers, and technology companies. I spend a lot of time at technology recruiting conferences, HR conferences, meeting with employers and speaking to hundreds of job seekers. I have one goal in mind; to help job seekers not just get a job but get a job they really want. A great job with a great company will get you on the career path you deserve.

Today, I want to let you know the three things you are doing during the job search that prevents you from getting that great job. I have been searching for a Director of Operations for one of our clients. I posted the job and did some LinkedIn searching. Altogether, I received over 150 resumes. It takes a lot of time to go through that many resumes. I did it manually but when you apply to jobs at large companies, you submit your application and resume through the applicant tracking system. No matter what, human or robot, something has to “click” in your resume content to catch attention so you can get an interview (read these articles to understand that).

Amazingly, 135 people (resumes) didn’t even make the cut to the interview stage. Why? Let me tell you!

 

  1. Do you have the skills? I couldn’t tell if the applicants had the skills I was trying to find. So many resumes are very generic. The last thing a robot or human wants to do is decipher your resume. If you have the skills for my job, make sure that the top half of your resume lets me know that. Use the title “Operations Manager” if you have the skills but you were called something else at your current company. Many job sites have “one-click apply” so many jobseekers apply to jobs without even optimizing their resume to the job. Some sites, like Indeed, create a “generic” resume for you; a horrible idea since your resume will look the same as your competition. Your resume is your only ticket to get an interview, so it has to be relevant.
  1. Please call or email me back and be nice. I called nine of the resumes and left a voice mail for each person. Seven people didn’t answer so I imagine they didn’t “recognize” the number rather than just ignore my call. Only one person called me back within 48 hours. The one person that did answer the phone gave me the “is this a bill collector” vibe. If you are in a job search and send out a ton of resumes, answer all phone calls expecting it to be an employer. First impressions count, and I am shocked at the lack of excitement from job seekers until they establish that the call is important. Check your voice mails and return those and emails immediately. Why this isn’t common sense, I have no idea.
  1. Know the company and job you applied for without fail. If you are in a job search and apply to fifteen jobs, how are you keeping track of those job applications? There is nothing worse than an employer calling you from XYZ company about your application, and you have no idea what job or company they are representing. This is bad. As a jobseeker, it is better to apply to jobs and companies with whom you want to work. Research the company and the role by going to LinkedIn and finding people who may have that same job with that specific company. Be prepared. When that company calls you for an interview, you can spend the first two minutes of the call letting them know why you would like to work for them; not question the employer about who they are and what job.

     

Simple stuff, but these three things are preventing so many people from getting a great job. Take control of your job search by expecting a call by every employer you applied to and you with proper preparation, you will get the interview without fail!