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 When one is involved in a multi-dimensional process, and particularly when they feel disadvantaged by that process, it is easy for them to lose perspective on the viewpoint of others. Job search is a prime process for those feelings.
Yes, you are the individual in need of employment. And, perhaps you are coming off an unexpected layoff, or company closing or merger. The fact remains, and will always remain, individuals are hired by organizations, (or other individuals if it is for a direct customer service), for the skills and VALUE they can bring to the one doing the hiring. Therefore, the one who is ultimately making the hiring decision has a need and a mindset that they want to get the decision right. Not
getting it right could mean having to go through the hiring process all over again a short time later. It could also be a worse outcome if the hiring decision leads to issues that impact the business such as bad employee morale or a dissatisfied or lost customer.
Additionally, while the person who is the hiring manager is seen by the job applicant as the person ultimately making the decision whether they get a job or not, there actually may be several individuals in that decision making process. While the hiring manager has a say, so may the other department peers to which that manager provides support in the business operation. The hiring manager’s boss often has a say, if they do not see an applicant fitting into the
company culture or with other players on the boss’ team. The entire area, (hiring manager’s boss included), may be at the mercy of a hiring budget for the opening that may be available one quarter, and then may not be available in the next quarter, (especially if the company is monitoring their hiring by the financial results of quarter-by-quarter reporting).
Often the hiring manager’s first job is not the hiring of individuals into the company. That usually falls to a Human Resources area that may not be an expert on the actual job functions, but has the role of identifying possible strong candidates for the role. In addition, those Human Resource staff members are under restrictions of their own to be able to demonstrate that fair opportunity is given to all possible candidates, and keep statistical reports of that fact. As a
result, a process which in the past was often done by paper applications coming in, has been made computer aided to support it in statistical report generation. Additionally, as technology advances, the abilities of those computer technologies have placed more of the burden on the job searcher.
While it is a wonderful thought to think that the resume that the job searcher worked on, (or paid to have developed), is read line by line by the hiring company’s personnel, that is far from reality. Often the resume is matched up against the company’s job description electronically, to see how the qualifications of the applicant match to the job role. If the applicant’s match rate is not strong enough, their resume may never reach a human being. Even if
it does reach a human being, that person often again, is not going to read it line by line. They will often look at the summary on the first page, look for key skills, abilities, and accomplishments, and hope to find those in no more than a 10 second scan of a resume. Is this fair to the job searcher? Of course it is not. However, if their resume is not strategically designed to make this type of information easy for the Human Resources representative or recruiter to find, their
application may never actually officially get a look.
So, what is a job applicant to do about this an any other obstacles? First, they need to spend some time and get to know themselves as a job applicant. By that I mean, take stock of what you have accomplished in your career to date. You may want to start at your last job and identify situations which were challenges, that required that you take an action and led to a positive result for the company for which you worked. One may want to continue to do that not only for their most recent
role, but even a few roles back, if they appear relevant to the skills that the individual has, and will be needed in the roles for which they apply. Additionally, the job seeker wants to ask themselves, what are the roles, and titles of the roles to which I will be applying? What do I bring to those roles? How am I able to best identify my major skills and strong points? What have others said in terms of the value I bring to the companies for which I have worked? Make sure to record all this
information in a convenient way, (a document for the accomplishments and a separate document for the roles to which you will be applying makes sense). This reflection will help in the development and strengthening of your resume, the development and strengthening of your Linked In profile, your verbal communication (Personal Pitch and for Interviews) and in your Cover Letters.
Look closely at the job descriptions to which you will be applying. What language are they using as to what is expected of the person applying for the job role? Does your resume show the same skillsets? If not, do you have those skillsets? If you do, look to change the wording in the resume to reflect that fact so that the resume is speaking “the company’s language,” and that of the Automated Screen Tool, that is matching your
resume to the job description. Will this mean that you will have to adjust your resume for each job to which you apply? Likely very much so. However, not to do so, will mean a higher chance you will never be called for an interview.
Additionally, increase your chances for an interview by identifying those in your professional network that may be of assistance to you. Do they work at some of the companies to which you are applying? Are they in way connected to the hiring area or manager? Are they an advocate who is willing to speak on your behalf? Do those in your network know of opportunities that may not be yet publicly advertised or posted but are ones that match well with your skillset?
Never become complacent in the process. Even if you are called in for an interview with a company, and even called for multiple rounds of interviews, DO NOT STOP SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITIES. As indicated earlier, the hiring managers you are speaking to may not have full control of the decision for the job opening. Openings get pulled because of budget concerns. Other players in the process, like another candidate better. Are there any internal candidates that are being
considered for the role, and is the company’s goal to move those candidates forward if all other candidates are equal?
Longer term, realize you really are never looking to stop your search, EVEN IF YOU DO LAND A JOB ROLE. The position you land may only last for a short while, and the company that hires you decides to let you go as you are the newest employee in the company. The skills that you have learned as part of job search will keep you in practice as to what opportunities are out there. In addition, continued networking, searching, and targeting will make you alert to skills you may
need to add to your portfolio through certification and advanced education classes.
Again, job search is a process with many moving parts. Being aware that those parts all have their role in the process, means you need to do your role. That is, to continue to stay aware of what you need to do to demonstrate what you can do as a productive member of your profession and see how those skills are desired by those who need your talents.
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