So Your Shiny New Resume Didn’t Get You the Interview
All too often, job applicants believe that if they have the perfect resume, employers will scramble to hire them.
Unfortunately, that’s not close to reality for several reasons:
1. There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ resume. A resume may be flawless (no errors), detail exactly what you can offer in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities, be organized well and still not gain you the interview. Why? Most likely because another candidate was better qualified or more uniquely qualified for the position. Remember, you’re competing against dozens, perhaps hundreds of other individuals for the same position. Employers can afford to be choosy.
2. You’re sending your perfect resume to a myriad of jobs without bothering to change the document’s focus. Let’s say you’re an accountant, but you also worked in retail management for many years. With your accounting-focused resume, you begin to apply for retail management jobs – just in case. However, none of the hiring managers for those positions call you in for an interview. You’re mystified. Your resume is perfect! Well, not exactly. If the focus of your document is accounting and the hiring manager wants retail management, they won’t care if your resume is perfect or not. You’re not who they’re looking for.
3. You’re overqualified or under-qualified for the position. Again, if you don’t match the qualifications better than anyone else, you won’t be called into interview. It’s an unfortunate truth that you can’t simply send out a thousand resumes to every available job, hoping that some will stick. They won’t. Not in this economy.
4. You’ve failed to target what the employer wants most. Your resume may read well and have a lot of good data about you, but again, it’s not what the hiring manager wants or needs to fill the vacancy.
In today’s job market there is no such thing as a perfect resume or a one-size-fits all document. Each time you apply for a position, you need to tailor your resume to fit specific needs.
If you don’t, it won’t matter how perfect you believe your resume to be.
Are you giving employers what they want?
When you’re facing an economy that’s flush with highly-qualified candidates and there are too few jobs to go around, it may seem like an impossible task to capture a hiring manager’s attention.
Being invited to interview may be a dream you don’t believe will happen.
However, companies need employees as much as you need a job. They are interviewing. They are hiring. They are also weeding out candidates that don’t present them with the best possible background for the position.
Knowing what an employer wants isn’t difficult. They want you, the potential employee, to either make their company money or save their company money. Yes, it’s as simple as that.
They want your resume to reflect your knowledge, skills, abilities, in an easy to read and follow format.
They want to know what you achieved – the results of your tasks, not simply your tasks.
A stellar resume that is accomplishment oriented, rather than task oriented, will get you in the ‘to-be-interviewed’ pile. Dovetailing your background to fit perfectly with a company’s needs will place you far ahead of your competitors.
Getting an interview and being awarded the job is doable – all you need to remember is to give employers what they want.
Salary Expectations
When applying for a position, you’ll run across some job postings that insist you include your salary expectations.
This can be a Catch-22 situation for many, especially if you’re underemployed or soon to be unemployed. You know what you’ve made, you know what you’re worth, and you know what you should ask for. However, you’re also aware of the current economy and don’t want to price yourself out of the market.
So how do you include salary expectations that will meet the employer’s request while keeping you in the running?
The answer depends upon your situation.
1. If you’re not worried about personal finances and are confident of what you can bring to the targeted company, by all means name your price. It should be in keeping with salary ranges for the industry and locale, but you won’t have to lowball the figure.
2. If you’re currently employed but are desperate to leave your company for whatever reason, then you should offer a range of salaries that include the lowest you’ll accept/the salary you do make/and what would be the ideal compensation. For example, you would write: Salary expectations: 60s to 80s (You would be making mid-70s at your present position).
3. If you’re unemployed and need money, then you should write a range, like #2, but keep it on the lower side and add that the salary is negotiable. Something like this: Salary expectations: 60s to 70s and negotiable.
Although it’s always disheartening to accept a pay cut, it’s also important to remember that you can’t get a pay raise until you’re working at the company. The only way to get your foot in the door may be to accept lower pay. So be judicious in what you write in a cover letter as to your salary expectations.
Make a Good First Impression with Your Cover Letter
If you decide to include a cover letter when submitting your resume, it’s important to read these tips:
1. Don’t simply send a cover letter that states – ‘my resume is enclosed (attached, follows, whatever)’. That’s a given. You’re wasting the hiring manager’s time and you’re missing out on a great opportunity to sell yourself by being so cryptic.
2. Never address the cover letter to Dear Sir or Madam – or worse – To Whom It May Concern. That’s equivalent to Dear Occupant. Go online and find the name of the hiring manager at the company. Call the company and ask the receptionist to whom a letter should be addressed. If you’re answering a blind ad (the company’s name isn’t given), then don’t use a salutation. Instead, write:
Re: Job #876ABC
or
Re: Junior Accountant Position
Then get right into the body of your letter.
3. Use the letter to tell the hiring manager about you – not the company. You’re wasting the HR person’s time when you state something like – “I’m excited about applying to your company because you make the best widgets in the business. USA Today stated that you were…” Guess what – the hiring manager already knows all this. What s/he doesn’t know is who you are and what you can bring to the company in terms of knowledge, skills, abilities.
4. Use the opening paragraph to state the job you’re applying for and why you’re the perfect candidate for the position. Don’t make the hiring manager guess as to the purpose of your letter. Most won’t. They’ll simply move on to the next candidate.
5. Bullet the middle of the letter and state your most stellar achievements – as they pertain to the qualifications needed for the job. In other words, sell yourself here.
6. End the letter proactively, stating that you’ll be contacting the hiring manager to follow up on your interest in the position. If you don’t take that first step, you might be waiting a long time for an interview.
A cover letter isn’t just another document giving you a chance to say you want a job. Again, that’s a given. It’s a marketing piece, like the resume, to sell the hiring manager on your unique talents and abilities.
