What Happens to My Resume' When I Click "Send"? And What's the Deal with that Picture of a Funnel?

Funnel

You see that job posting online.  You click "Apply Now".  Then what happens?

• Your resume usually gets entered automatically into an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).  That's a fancy way of saying the database that corporate recruiters use to collect their candidate.

• The ATS frequently saves a version of the resume you sent, and then also makes a version which pulls out the formatting and turns it into text.  Why?  Because it makes it easier for the system to store, and for people to search words in it.

• Let's assume that you applied to a particular job opening. Your resume is entered alongside those of other people who have applied for that opening.  Try to think of it like an email filter - for example, if you have one set up on your email that puts all emails with "Project Pokemon" (for lack of a better term) into a particular folder, you can find all your Project Pokemon emails in one place.  An ATS does the same thing, except that it's all applicants to a certain job.

• The corporate recruiter sees a real-time list of people who have applied. It could be hundreds - if not thousands - of applicants. To whittle this down and to save time, the recruiter may have put in some automatic filters of his or her own.  For example, the criteria used may be structured as follows - candidates who live within 50 miles, and put a salary range of less than $x, and have indicated that they have used Microsoft Word may go into the "Yes" filter for further review.  Those who don't meet all three of these criteria would go into the "No" filter automatically, and likely won't get reviewed for the job - sorry, no banana.

• Then the recruiter really digs in, reviewing the resumes who are in the "Yes" filter. There's still usually a substantial pile of candidates.  At this point, though, they start to see what's in the content of the resume. As the recruiter clicks on each profile, the ATS will usually display a window showing the top half of the first page of the resume.  In realistic terms, this means it will show your name, address, objective, and the beginning of your current or most recent job.  The recruiter decides to read further or not based up on what he or she sees in this window - if the fit isn't somewhat readily apparent, next resume.

• From there, the recruiter pulls resumes of interest to screen.  Assume they are generally in the neighborhood of four to six resumes for each position.

• The recruiter calls the applicants and screens for fit - salary expectations, location, fit for the role, you name it.  The stack of resumes whittled down to what are now three candidates (they are candidates because they have a realistic chance) to bring in for interview.

• The three candidates come in for interviews. Manager really likes one of the candidates.  It's one big happy, the candidate loves the company, they get an offer and accept, and they start, and everybody lives happily forever after.  Or, at least until bonuses are paid out, the now-employee accepts an offer at a competitor, and the process starts all over again. Perhaps I may be getting cynical.

Did you notice the picture of the funnel? Are you still wondering why that's there?

It's because recruiting is often measured as a funnel.  It starts off wide (large volume) at the top, and gets narrow (small volume) at the bottom.  To illustrate:

• Total Applicants - 500

• Applicants meeting enough criteria to pass into "Yes" fiter - 150

• Applicants selected for phone screen - 6

• Candidates Interviewed - 3

• Candidates Offered - 2

• Candidates Accepted/Hired - 1

What can you do to make your journey through the funnel more successful?

1. Applyto jobs to which you are qualified

2. Make sure your resume is fleshed out enough that it has enough keywords to meet the criteria (Did you read the job description before you applied?  Did it ask for Microsoft Project, and you didn't include it in your resume?  If you don't get through, it's on you...)

3. Know your criteria and the market - compensation requirements, location, etc.  You won't fit every job - your current pay and salary requirements may be way above those for the job.  In which case, if nobody contacts you, nobody's wasting your time, either. By the way, several of the company ATS's have portals where you can log back in and see the status of your application

4. Front-load your resume with a clear, concise objective that matches the job requirements.  Take out anything that doesn't sell you for the job (i.e., putting your penchant for fly-fishing up top when you're applying for a software engineering role. Then again, if you're applying for a job as a sales rep at a sporting goods company, play up those mad rod skills).

5. If the recruiter calls you, be prompt, respectful, and forthright. You made it this far, why blow it now?

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. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

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.

Working Effectively with Staffing Firms, as a Candidate

Okay, you're on the job hunt!  You've been contacted by a staffing firm about a job opportunity.  The recruiter has left you a message to reach out to them to talk about this position.  Exciting, right? Staffing firms (otherwise known as agencies) are hired by companies looking to fill positions.  They are engaged in one of two ways:

• Retained Search: This usually happens for about 10% to 20% of positions.  These roles tend to be (but aren't necessarily) senior managers or above. The Retained Search firm builds a slate of candidates that it presents to the client company, usually boiling it down to three to five of their top candidates.  The agency is paid by the company in installments (usually one third at the start of the search, one third upon presentation of their slate of candidates, and one third upon acceptance of the offer).
• Contingent Search: 80%-90% of agency searches are in this category.  This means that the agency presents candidates to the client company, and gets paid their fee when the candidate is hired.

The one thing in common between both scenarios is that the agencies need to fill the job to make money.  The contingent agency won't collect one penny UNLESS THE PERSON GETS HIRED.  And, usually, that contact person at the agency is paid on commission.  So they are hungry to fill the job in a time-effective manner.

Got it?  If they don't fill the job, they don't fill their belly.  It's an important distinction from the corporate recruiter who works for the client company, and whose paycheck cashes regardless of whether a particular job fills.

Here's some tips to make that relationship more successful and help you land that job.

• Remember that the agency works for the client company, not you.  The client company will pay them for putting the right person in the job.  The staffing firm recruiter may support your candidacy, and may be pulling for you, but they will keep talking to other candidates, also, because they may be a better fit.
• Treat the people at the staffing firm (as well as everybody - come on, you're not five years old) with respect and courtesy.  If they like working with you, they are more likely to pull for you.  If you tick them off, they will drop you like a hot potato. Treat them as if your career depends upon them. It may.
• Be very responsive to the folks at the staffing firm.  They call you, find a conference room immediately and call them back immediately.  And use phrases your mommy taught you, like "Thank you", "Yes ma'am", and "It's very nice to speak with you." If they ask you for an updated resume, send it within the hour (keep a copy on your smartphone so you don't have to use the company's computer). If they ask for references, ask them how many they would like and provide them promptly.
• Know your parameters, and stick to them.  Know how far you will commute, your salary requirements for the right job, your reasons for considering another position, and if you will consider a new position. What you say will be shared with the company.  If you change any of these parameters down the line, the agency will likely never work with you again.  And they usually have lots of clients, so that would be bad. Be up front with the agency about all the comp you get including salary and bonus, any potential increases, how your 401(k) matches, etc.  It will become important in the offer process.
• The agency may not be in a position to tell you who the client company is until a certain point in the process.  Respect this.  They are doing this because the search may be confidential, or because they don't want you telling them that you aren't interested, only to apply directly, cutting them out of a fee. If you think you might know (or actually do know) who the company is, and you've applied in the past, tell them.
• This leads me to warn you that once the agency introduces you to a company, your agency contact is the point of contact for you at that company going forward. Period. Only exception to this rule is sending thank you notes to the folks with whom you interviewed.
• Assuming that you've interviewed and the company is extending you an offer, the offer will likely come from the agency. You may or may not be able to negotiate the offer if it isn't within your original parameters through the agency, but don't assume that they will move heaven and earth to make this happen. Don't change your salary parameters at this point either, thinking you may have a super-strong hand. It will come across as disrespectful and dishonest. It may work, but more likely the company will move onto their next-choice candidate.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

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.

Great Ways to Not Get the Job

Here follows some ways I've seen candidates employ to ensure that you do everything in your power to sabotage your chances to snag that dream job in the application and interview process.  I have seen these all first-hand. And they're easy!

• Arrive late for the interview. Don't bother to call. Then act like nothing happened.
• Learn nothing about the company in advance of your interview. Then, when asked by your interviewer "What do you know about us," make something up.
• Ask how much the job pays. Even after you've already had this discussion with the company recruiter. Ask everybody with whom you interview.
• Tell the recruiter you are close friends with the CEO, when maybe you met once in passing. Maybe.
• Be friendly to everybody you meet in the company. Except for the recruiter. In that case, be a total ass to them.
• Bring extra copies of your resume. Folded up into squares in your pocket.
• Send a nice, thoughtful thank you note after the interviews to people with whom you've met.  Include typos and misspellings.
• Guess at your prior dates of employment on the job application. Go ahead, just guess. That way, when the company gets ready to hire you and runs the pre-employment background check, nothing adds up and you get disqualified for dishonesty.
• Leave your phone on. Casually take a call when your phone rings during the interview.
• Use your referral network to do everything possible to get in the door with the company. Make sure you ask an executive to sponsor you and they use every bit of their personal equity to push you through and get you an offer in another department. Then, AFTER you've received and accepted the offer, make your resume live and searchable on the job boards the company subscribes to, like Monster, so that the recruiter can stumble across it and inform the executive about it.

DSC_1675

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. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

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.