Crank Your Job Hunt Up to Eleven

"These go to eleven!" / iStockphoto.com (blueraymac)

There's a fantastic movie from the 1980's called This is Spinal Tap. It's a comedy (a mockumentary, really) about an aging rock band which is losing relevance. There's a scene in the movie where Nigel Tufnel, the band's guitarist, is showing the narrator his amp. As he shows him the knobs, he points out that the volume knob is marked with a top setting of eleven rather than the standard top setting of ten.

Nigel explains the benefit. "Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?"

The narrator asks, "Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?"

Nigel responds confidently, "These go to eleven!"

My point: Silly example? Sure. But if you want to stick out in the job search, if you want that extra bump, if you want to get noticed, you're going to need to turn your search up to eleven. Go beyond what's expected. Do more. Work harder.

Don't believe me? Here's a real-world example. I was speaking recently with a friend of mine who recruits for a Fortune 20 technology company. She told me that for each job posting, she receives 10,000 applicants.

Let that sink in for a moment.

TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE (that's four zeroes) are competing for the same job you want. Just one job. And, by the way, this company doesn't really advertise the postings, either, so that means people actively went to their website and sought out openings. Do the math:

• Even if you meet all the qualifications...
• Even if you are performing the exact same duties in your current job...
• Even if you're in the top five percent of all applicants...

...you're still just one in 500 applicants.

I hate to depress you, but job hunting is really hard. And it's only getting harder. Employers have erected even more obstacles between job hunters and jobs, in the form of systems and controls.

Think about it - how many times have you been instructed to apply online? Employers direct job seekers to apply on their website – before receiving any consideration – under any variety of circumstances including:

•When responding to an online job posting
•When calling the company
•When stopping by the front desk
•When meeting a recruiter at a job fair
•When getting introduced to a company employee at a trade show

Get the picture? Employers want you to apply online before speaking to you. There are several reasons for this, but here's the big one:

It's easier for the company. Talking to job seekers takes time. Collecting and scanning resumes takes time. Entering a job seeker's information into the system takes time. When you apply online, you're getting yourself into the system and the employer is able to move on to other duties. And if you're a recruiter who wants to quickly review resumes, having everybody's resume in one place simplifies the search.

There are other reasons, of course – tracking, governance, document control, process management, reporting, and so on. In any event, the employer wants you to do what's easiest for them.

My point is this. Most job seekers simply post their resume online to a company's job posting – and pray they get noticed. And then they get frustrated and annoyed with the process when they never hear from any employers.

I get these job seekers' frustration – I truly do. The application process is demoralizing, annoying, painful, and quite often ineffective for the job seeker. The numbers alone will work against you.

The Bottom Line: What you're doing simply isn't enough.

Being a job seeker today means stepping outside your comfort zone to get noticed. You have to go into the job search with a strategy other than "Post and Pray," because that's probably not going to work.

Individuals getting calls from potential employers generally work harder to make sure that they get that they do. If you want to compete, you need to take your job hunt to the next level. I'm not suggesting that you make job hunting a full-time job, but here are some activities which can pay big dividends.

1. Make your resume align with the job description. Employers' Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS's - the databases they use to store resumes and post jobs) rank resumes according to how closely they match the job description. That way, the recruiter gets to look at the resumes which score the highest first, as opposed to going through resumes alphabetically or in order received. In other words, if your resume is a 90% match against the job description, you've got a higher chance of getting a glance. Look for the employers' keywords, terminology, and requirements, and make sure you're tweaking your resume to include these. And include a title on the resume matching the job's title.

2. Make your resume appealing to people, too. It doesn't matter how great your skills or accomplishments on your resume are if they don't align to the position posted. Don't count on the recruiter wanting to read your resume or submit it to the hiring manager if it's clear that you posted for another job and used the same resume for this one. The title of the job you're posting for should be front and center on the resume, the resume skills and accomplishments should align with the career direction, and make sure the resume is well formatted, easy to read, and pops. Interesting is important.

3. Check for jobs on all the boards that matter. You can't always know where a company's going to decide to post an opening. That dream job could be posted on Monster, CareerBuilder, LinkedIn, Indeed, SimplyHired, Recruiter.com, Dice, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, or even directly on a company's website. Set a routine to check these sites. Build a rotation. Set up alerts that notify you when a job that meets your criteria gets posted. And apply quickly - it's easier to get noticed with less competition.

4. Go around the system, find a stakeholder, and sell yourself. That's the beauty of LinkedIn - after you've applied online, you can find somebody at the company who cares that you applied (preferably a hiring manager) and you can message them through the system to express your interest. A manager in need may take your note seriously and ask human resources for your resume.

By the way: I'm often asked if it's worth paying for a LinkedIn premium subscription. The answer is, unequivocally, YES! If you're searching for a job, you can leverage the increased functionality that the premium access gives you. Namely, you have the ability to do in-depth searches across the system AND you can send a limited number of direct messages (InMails) to people you're not connected to. This access, combined with a well-timed note, may turn the tide in your favor.

5. Nurture your network. Keep in touch with past managers and coworkers, and get out there and meet new people - often. People refer people they like for jobs. It's that simple. During the course of my career, several doors were opened for me based upon who I knew. I obtained multiple interviews and several job offers because of my existing network. If you're looking for a job, tell your network - they may be willing to put you forward for a job. Go to professional organization meetings. Ask for informational interviews. Attend local college alumni events. Hit those department reunions. Invite your old boss out to lunch (and offer to pay). And this works both ways, by the way - people will remember (and likely repay the favor) if you were generous in putting them forward for a job.

6. Polish up your LinkedIn profile. Employers and recruiters are actively combing LinkedIn to find passive job seekers. An effective profile will help sell you and maybe get you noticed for a job you hadn't considered. And people in your network on LinkedIn may refer you if they like what they see.

7. Get your interviewing skills up to standard. Be ready for behavioral interviews. Display a lot of energy. Get a nice suit. Prepare for the salary question. And treat that initial phone screen by an employer as a real interview - because it is. Send thank you notes to everybody.

8. Remember – There's always somebody out there willing to work a little bit harder at this than you are. Proceed accordingly, and crank your job search up to 11.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

What Does It Mean When An Employer Says They'll "Keep My Resume On File?"

You may think this is what happens, but trust me. It isn't. (iStockphoto.com / XiXinXing)

You just submitted your resume for a job opening on a company's website. Shortly after clicking "send," you receive an email that looks something like this:

"Thank you for your interest in the position with our company. We appreciate you taking out the time to send us your resume, and we want to assure you that it will be reviewed and carefully considered. Should your credentials match our current requirements, we will be in touch with you. If there is not a match, we will retain your information for future reference."

It's a generic letter that tells you, in essence, four things:

1. We have received your resume.
2. We are going to look at your resume.
3. If we like your resume for the job, we'll contact you.
4. If we don't like your resume for the job, we'll keep the resume on file.

The unspoken message here is, "Don't call us, we'll call you."

Let's look at the numbers for a moment. Recruiters often receive hundreds – or even thousands – of resumes for each job opening they post. The odds are against receiving a call, so the company is trying to set your expectations as a job seeker.

So – the company told you they're going to keep your resume on file for future opportunities. Will they, really?

The answer is yes. Companies do keep resumes on file after you've submitted them. At least for a period of time. Here's why:

1. Resumes received now may be a fit for future opportunities. Only a small percentage of the resumes a recruiter receives for a job posting are actually a potential fit for the the job. So, the recruiter may mine the database in the future, when they get a new job opening; if there's plenty of qualified applicants in there, they may not post the job

An Aside: Most of the resumes received for any particular job (my guess: 70%) are sent by people who are on their way to being qualified for the job but are currently too junior for the role; they're applying in the hope that somebody will take a chance on them –OR– by applicants who have minimal or no qualifications for the position but really want a job with the company. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," seems to apply to the overwhelming majority of job applicants.

2. Document retention policies require that the employer keep resumes on file. First, a short lesson on what document retention means; companies are often required by their legal department to hold onto resumes (as official documents) for a designated period of time due to internal organizational need, regulatory requirements for inspection or audit, legal statutes of limitation, or other legal or nonlegal reasons. Let's say somebody applies for a job at a company and isn't selected for the position, and he or she decides to sue a company for employment discrimination; the company receives subpoenas for its employment records, and the resumes they received are part of the mix. A company would be in deep you-know-what if they weren't able to retrieve the resumes received for that particular job for their attorney to build a case.

So, what are the chances of your resume actually getting another look down the road? In truth, it varies. Corporate recruiters, as a general rule, are heavily bogged down in managing recruitment of their open positions. It's not unusual for a corporate recruiter to be working on 20 or more jobs at a time.

Do the recruiter's math: (20 jobs x 1,000 applicants) + all the interviews and other work they have on their desk = 20,000 resumes to filter plus a whole lot more stuff to do. The inclination may be to just slap the job up on LinkedIn or Indeed, see who applies, and look at the resumes the applicant tracking system (the recruiter's database) ranks highest.

That said, there are recruiters who do deep mining into their databases to find the gems. So, how can you increase your chances of getting another look down the road by an employer?

• Submit a really good resume. A strong resume will show up in the recruiter's searches because it contains a lot of great keywords and is loaded with a ton of accomplishments. Want to learn more about how to strengthen your resume? Follow this link for my article, "6 Things You Can Do To Strengthen Your Resume Today."
• Read the email that you got from the company to learn how long they're going to keep your resume on file. It's a decent bet that if the company follows its own retention policy, your resume will be dumped from the system after that time. Resubmit after that time expires.
• Don't give up on applying to new jobs. Keep an eye on the company's job postings. If you see another job that is a particular fit for your talents, reapply to the new position.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Can I Ask an Employer For Interview Feedback?

Well, that explains it... (iStockphoto.com/kasahasa)

A week ago you interviewed for a job with a local technology company. You spent three hours answering and asking questions with interviewer after interviewer. You figure you did pretty well, so you're surprised to find the following message from the company's recruiter in your email inbox the next day:

"We appreciate your interest in our company and thank you for the time you spent interviewing with us, and giving us the opportunity to learn about your skills and accomplishments. However, we have identified a more highly qualified individual for the role. We wish you the best of luck on your job search and your future endeavors."

You thought you nailed the interview. And, there's nothing of value in that rejection letter that provides you any insight into the company's decision to cut you loose. Is it okay to reach out to the recruiter or the hiring manager to ask why they took a pass on you?

Absolutely, you can ask for feedback. Just don't expect a meaningful answer.

Or for that matter, any answer at all.

Why don't companies usually share useful information about the interview with you? There are several reasons:

• Potential liability: Employers wish to avoid providing job seekers with anything that could be used against them in a discrimination lawsuit. Even interview feedback provided with the best of intentions could turn out to be damaging, so it's not unheard of for companies' legal departments to implement and enforce a "no-feedback" policy for this reason.

• Goodwill: Yes, it hurts not to know where you went wrong in the process. A saccharine reason like, "we have identified a more highly qualified individual," can be puzzling, but also reassuring, planting the belief that you were this close to getting the role and that a more qualified candidate showed up. Many companies are very conscious of their image as both an employer and as a brand owner. If they hurt your feelings by telling you that your interview skills were terrible and you weren't qualified for the job, would you want go back for another round of interviews should you be called for another job there? And would you keep buying their product?

• Time: Let's say a recruiter is working on 25 open jobs. They've interviewed 5 people for each open position. Doing the back-of-the-napkin math, that would be 125 interviewees with whom the recruiter would need to spend time providing - and explaining - interview feedback. At an estimated ten minutes per conversation with each interviewee, it would take more than 20 hours to communicate feedback to everybody. Add this to the recruiter's other job responsibilities, such as sourcing and screening candidates, producing reports, and attending meetings, and it's easy to see why the recruiter would opt to send you a form letter generated by their candidate tracking system. Such conversations take a great deal of time; think back to your last performance appraisal - do you remember how much time and discussion you had with your manager around each little detail?

• They've made up their mind, and you can't change it: Employers have a great deal of latitude in terms of their hiring decisions, and they don't appreciate being second-guessed. By taking your call, and by having a conversation about the interview, company representatives are opening themselves to a potential disagreement over how things went or were perceived. The recruiter may tell you that you were too light in a key skill for the role, but you points out that you have over 10 years experience and clearly meet the job requirement. It puts the employer in the position of having to defend their position to support their decision. And oh, by the way, the other candidate who interviewed already accepted the offer and is scheduled to start on Monday.

So what do you do if you would still like to get feedback on your interview?

Ask for feedback. Nicely. Email the company recruiter or hiring manager thanking them for their time, indicating that while you were disappointed that you didn't get the job and that you hope they'll keep you in mind for future opportunities. At the end of your message, tell them you'd like to continue to develop, and that any feedback they could provide would be very much appreciated. Don't push it, and don't ask multiple interviewees for their input. If they want to share anything with you, they will. Be gracious in accepting any feedback they provide you (or be equally gracious if they tell you they can't provide you any feedback), without argument. Then let it go. You'll come across as professional and mature.

Polish your interviewing skills. Work under the assumption that you could use some more polish in your presentation. Conduct mock interviews with a coach or a friend. Pinpoint your areas for development, and work on those. Then you'll be ready the next time an employer calls.

The lack of feedback may leave you feeling unfulfilled and disappointed, but it's important to preserve your professional brand to an employer, so don't push the issue.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Tagged: interviewing, interviews, career, background checks