|
Auto-Disqualification - When Your Resume Never Reaches the Decision Maker
How would you know if your resume did or didn't reach the appropriate decision maker? You can truly never know for certain. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that your resume does not get "auto-disqualified", or provide obvious reasons not to be hired. There are several "mistakes" commonly made in resumes that give immediate reasons why you will not be offered the opportunity to go to the next step in the hiring process. The usual first step in obtaining a position is the submission of your resume. Typically that is to the staff in a Human Resources department. Often, HR is given a specific group of parameters the hiring manager is seeking in a particular applicant. If a resume does not reflect those parameters it is often filed away and never given to the decision maker. Age is often a factor in this process. Age discrimination happens. It happens to applicants that are too old for a position or too young. Companies are not allowed to ask an applicant's age, but often times they don't have to. Many people reflect this information voluntarily in their resume. By giving a high school graduation year, college graduation year, or even the dates you attended schools gives the reader ample information to decide if you are too young or too old for the position. Age is never a reason you will be hired, but it certainly could be a reason you are not hired. Why give them this information? Many applicants are concerned that they have worked for only one company or in only one industry and that their skills are not transferable to other industries. This is when your marketing skills are truly tested. Marketing yourself is very similar to marketing a product. Find out what is going to make you attractive to the employer as a potential employee and showcase those skills in your resume. So, how can you avoid "Auto-Disqualifying"? Example: If you are applying for a management position but have never held a manager's "title," showcase the fact that you have managed others or supervised projects so the person reading your resume understands that you have the necessary skills even though you have not held the title. If your resume is not reflecting your skills, then it is probably being disqualified before it reaches a true decision maker. This is commonly known in the employment industry as "auto-disqualifying." Education, or lack of, is a tougher hurdle to overcome. Many positions have an educational requirement that some people have not achieved. This again brings us to marketing yourself. Showcase, through your resume, that you have the skills and knowledge to succeed at the position they are trying to fill. There are very few "perfect applicants" for any particular position, as a result decision makers typically must choose whom they feel is right for the job based on skills, experience and you're your ability to fit into their team. Do you know if your resume is reaching decision makers? Market your skills in your resume to ensure that your resume is actually reaching the true decision maker. Do this and increase your chances of landing that interview! Steven Bristow is a senior consultant for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. (http://www.interviewing.com), a career marketing firm and organization celebrating over 24 years of providing strategic marketing solutions for its clients' career transitioning needs.
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Washington State University
Careers Freedom of the Press Foundation
Careers Gwinnett County Public Schools
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Vocational Experts 7 Proposals to Solve the Unemployment Problem
The subject is constantly in the news and may decide thenext national elections - the infamous jobless recovery.More than 8 million Americans are out of work with another 4million underemployed or no longer looking for work.
What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, "What is your greatest weakness?" Most candidates are quick to respond with superficial answers such as "I'm a workaholic" or "I'm a perfectionist.
How To Get a Job Offer From Every Interview
About four years ago a friend told me one night that she had an interview the next week and was looking for some comfort as she was extremely nervous, as most people are about interviews. I thought back on my my carreer and realized that in the nine year of my career I had been to thirteen interviews and, more importantly, that I had received a job offer from every one of those interviews.
How To Power Negotiate Your Next Bonus
A raise in your base salary is a permanent source of increased income. However, to increase your take home pay, you can also negotiate performance bonuses on specific projects, activities, or time frames.
Salary, Raises, & Perks: Negotiate to Get Paid What Youre Worth!
Salary negotiation requires preparation and good timing. It's important to determine your salary needs and research the market value for the job you want.
Nine Career Zappers
Today, everyone is looking for the secret to business success. Professionals read books, take training classes, ask questions, study others that are successful and strive to outperform themselves.
Career Transitions : Fearless Flyers
You may have read one of my previous articles on career transitioning which described how to create complementary careers for yourself. This article will introduce you to three people I call Fearless Flyers because they have taken the leap of faith that many of us would only dream of considering.
Relocation Myths and Stereotypes
You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex. But when you make a career or other life choice, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?Relocation Myths"Big cities are unfriendly.
The Group Interview
Sometimes, when going on job interviews, you might end up in a situation where you are in a group interview. A group interview is where you are being interviewed along with several other candidates for the job.
Resume Writing - Importance of a Professional Summary
The Summary is the preview of your entire resume. This may be be the only part that an interviewer or employer might read for shortlisting your resume.
After Your Interview - What Must You Do Next?
Other than actually landing the interview itself and living through it, waiting after the interview and wondering whether you will get a phone call or a rejection letter can be one of the most difficult aspects of searching for a job. What you do after the interview should actually start while you are still 'working' the interview.
Updating Your Plum Job Now That Youre a Parent
It's startling to discover how having kids changes the way you see the world. Just compare your "before kids" vs.
The Global Work Marketplace - The Revolution Of How Work Gets Done
Will cubicles be a distant memory for today's workforce? Will the expense of office space and the tremendous burden of employee benefits be a thing of the past for modern day businesses?The reality is, for thousands of people, this change has already occurred. Internet based 'Service Auctions' now abound where businesses can post their ongoing jobs or one-time projects to a global market of freelance professionals, a.
The Myths of Career Change
Chances are you already have many ideas about what it takes to successfully transition into a new career, even if you have never done it before. Some of those ideas might be useful - most probably are not.
How To Conduct A Successful Job Search Campaign
1.Define your objective: Know what kind of work you most enjoy and perform the best.
Big Job Sites Vs The Small Ones
There is much to say about posting resumes on the big job sites online. There are many positives and also negatives to doing this as well.
Writing Resumes That Attract Your Perfect Job
Let me introduce you to Ben. He made it happenBen was a comptroller.
You Should Interview the Interviewer, Too
I know what you are thinking. You're thinking, "Wait a minute.
Dont Stop! Your Transition is Still Moving!
Q. I'm looking for a new job and plan to work with a career consultant next month.
21st Century Career Success
When it comes to modern career development, one thing we can all count on is change. With the advent of technology, telecommuting, and E-commerce, how work is performed is in a state of reinvention.
|