Tag Archives: attract recruiters

Tricks To Get Past The Screeners

Posted on November 25, 2009 | Leave a comment

First of all, apply for every job you are qualified for.  It is impossible to tell if the job is real.  You may as well take 5 minutes and apply.

Did you notice I did NOT say take 15 seconds and apply?  Internet job boards let you send off a resume without thinking.  You can send off a hundred in an hour.  That just assures you of 100 failures.  If you take 5 minutes and send off an effective resume for each job, you’ll do better than if you spam every employer in your area.

Most resumes are screened out electronically for large companies.  Every company then uses a clerical screener to throw out 90% of the resumes that are left with only a 10 second glance.  The remaining resumes get a 45 second read through and often only 5 out 100 original resumes are seen by anyone outside of HR.

Machines only care about one thing….a perfect match.  You have to have every requirement.  Look at the job order.  Does it have an acronym like “MS Word”?  Then have “MS Word” and “Microsoft Word” in your resume somewhere.  Does it ask for “PC experience”?  Then put the words “PC experience” somewhere.  You may want to put a “Technology Experience” section at the end of each job or the end of the resume.  You can put PowerPoint, Access, SAP A/R, Lawson GL and other cryptic requirements there.  The machine will find an exact match and you will get to the clerical screener.

The clerical screener really wants to throw out as many resumes as possible.  Every one he keeps means more work.  Look at the job listing.  What are they asking for?  Don’t bury your most important experience in a paragraph.  Screeners do not read paragraphs.  They read

  • The first 5 words in bullets and paragraphs.
  • The first 3 bullets only.
  • Job titles that are in bold type
  • Words that are in bold type. 

They may read italicized words, but not as often as bold.  Warning:  Don’t camouflage your qualifications by bolding everything YOU think is important.  Only bold the things asked for in the ad.

Make sure a screener who doesn’t want to have to read your whole resume sees you match the job.

————————-

Something To Do Today

For every job you are applying for, create a resume that will get past the screeners.  Bullet and bold everything the job ad asks for.

Leave a comment

Posted in Job Boards, Resumes

Tagged , , ,

Overqualified For A Job That Isn’t

Posted on November 23, 2009 | Leave a comment

To get a job through internet job boards you have to overcome some huge obstacles.  One problem is that you apply for a job that isn’t.  The job doesn’t exist for you.  The job was posted because Human Resources (HR) said they had to post it.  They have an internal candidate.  You haven’t got a prayer, but you don’t know it.

The job isn’t?  You’ll never know.  Your only chance is to get someone to personally submit you to the hiring manager.  Then he may actually consider you for a job he has decided to fill internally.  You’ll have a chance. 

Before you apply for any job ask yourself, “Do I know anyone who works there?” Then ask, “Do I know anyone who knows someone who works there?”  The best way to past all the screeners is to have someone personally drop your resume on the manager’s desk.

If you are really a fit for the job your friend, acquaintance or contact will be very happy to hand in your resume.  They get brownie points and sometimes bonuses for it.

How about recruiters that didn’t place the ad?  If they really know the hiring manager and can get you past HR, use them.  But be careful.  Ask them who they will be submitting you to.  Follow up with them.  Make sure they really submit you.  A well connected recruiter can make all the difference in the world.  A recruiter who knows nothing about the company can actually hurt you.  I’m a recruiter.  I’ve seen it work both ways.  Ask your recruiter what they will do in addition to submitting you to HR.

So the first thing to do is to figure out who can help you bypass HR and all the screeners.  Then ask them for their help.

————————-

Something To Do Today

When you decide to apply for a job, make a list of the people you know who already work there and a list of people who know someone who works there.  Ask for their help.

Leave a comment

Posted in Job Boards, Networking

Tagged , , ,

I Dare You To Use This Test

Posted on November 19, 2009 | Leave a comment

This test applies to resumes and often to job reviews.  The principles are the same.

Right now about 5 resumes out of every 100 make it to the hiring manager.  The average resume screener is NOT an expert in what you do.  If you are lucky he will know half of the technical terms on your resume.  The screener will decide in 10 seconds whether or not your resume comes close to being acceptable.  After this speed test, the screener will give your resume a 45 second read through.  If you pass that test you will finally get in the pile that the hiring manager gets to see.    Your resume has to get past the screener or you will not get hired.

How do you test your resume?   Find a screener of your own.

Ask a friend to look over your resume for 10 seconds.  Time them.   Snatch your resume out of their hands.  Take it away and ask them what they read.  What they tell you determines whether or not you would make the first screen test.  If you pass that test, give it back to them for 45 seconds.  Again, snatch it away and grill them about what they read.

If your resume passes this test with three different people, you have a resume that may work.  If your screener can say what you accomplished, that’s outstanding.  If he says what your duties were, that’s good.  If you are going for a programming job and he says you worked with VB.Net and ADO.Net, and by the way, what are they?  You did well.

Every time you submit a resume, look at the ad you are responding to.  Will your screener pick out the key phrases in the ad…..from your resume?  Test it.  Find out. 

That’s how you get more interviews.

And think about those long, boring job reviews.  Don’t you think the same test, altered depending on your circumstances, could be of help?  Test what your manager’s boss will really read.

————————-

Something To Do Today

Find 3 friends, acquaintances or enemies and test your resume.  If you are having trouble, go to www.agicc.com/resumeideas.htm again.  See what you can change.

Leave a comment

Posted in Resumes

Tagged , , , ,

Leveraging Your Assets

Posted on November 13, 2009 | Leave a comment

Leveraging Your Assets

Yesterday I talked to a network technician who is supervising a few others.  He is earning just over $100,000 in salary.   The techs under him are stuck at $50,000 to $65,000 in salary.

So what’s the difference?  He knows what is valuable to his company.  Every week his job reviews always include a list of the ways he made money, saved money or speeded things up.  His resume is a list of the same things—his value to his company.  He knows how much money the guys on his team make for, or save, the company.  He knows how fast things used to get done and how fast they get done now.  He knows the retail price of every piece of software and hardware he buys and he shows how much his negotiations saved off that price.  He proves to his boss and puts on his resume exactly how often the network used to be down compared to today.  He also gives how much more it used to cost when 200 unionized assembly line workers stood around for half an hour each week waiting for the network to get fixed.

His current and past jobs are his most valuable assets.  Each year he gets $50,000 more than his coworkers.  Why?  Because he proves he is worth it every week.  He keeps his eye on what will make the biggest financial difference and tackles that problem.  The funny thing is that he definitely is not the best person technically on his team.  He’s the one who tackles and gets credit for the most valuable accomplishments.

Yesterday I asked you to make a list of things you did in each job that PROVE your will to succeed, your positive attitude and your desire to constantly improve.  Now that you have that list, here’s the next step.

————————-

Something To Do Today

You need to prove how valuable you are.  How do you compare to others doing the same job?  Prove it with solid numbers.  Have you improved a process? How much time does it save every day for how many people?  Do you do something faster than someone else? What does that translate into saved time and money over a month or year?  Have you brought in more work or new customers?  How much is that business worth in a year? Put down solid numbers.  Make good guesses if you aren’t sure.  Remember that 200 people saving ten minutes a day is worth a lot of money.  Estimate how much it is.

Next I’ll show you how to make this list of successes bring you a lot more money.

Leave a comment

Posted in Accomplishments, Promotions

Tagged , , ,

The words RECRUITERS search for the most

Posted on November 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

Do you want to know what the hottest jobs are right now? 

TheLadders is a set of job boards for high paying jobs.  They just published a list of the most common words that recruiters use to search for resumes on their job board.    Check it out here.

Leave a comment

Posted in Job Boards, Resumes

Tagged , , ,

Get experience before you get experience

Posted on November 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

I talk to a LOT of people who want better jobs.  A lot of them never consider finding ways to start doing the job they want before they get it.

An article on how to prepare now to get a job when you graduate got me thinking.  You need to do the same thing to progress in your career anywhere.   The best way to get a promotion is to start picking up parts of the job you want to do.  Help the current job holder when you can.  Train people to do YOUR job.  Volunteer somewhere to do the job you want. 

The real trick is to get experience before you get the job.  Then you are the natural person to hire.

Leave a comment

Posted in Accomplishments, Promotions

Tagged , , ,