What To Do When No One Responds to Your Resume

The following is the text of a presentation I recently delivered to the Job Seekers Support Group at Jewish Family Services in Somerville. I am available to meet with job seekers support / networking groups in NJ at no cost. Please send email to hblevin58@gmail.com or call me at 908-672-6477 to arrange.

Proper preparation of one’s resume is a daunting task for many people, especially for those who have not needed to look for a job in more than 10, perhaps 20 years, or even longer.

A lot of us have fallen into the trap of thinking "I don’t need an updated resume if my job is secure." My recommendation is that everyone, even if happily and gainfully employed, refresh there resume at least once a year, if not sooner. The possibility always exists that you could walk into your work site one day and be given an hour to pack up and vacate the premises. More and more, instant layoffs are becoming the norm in our world catching way too many people off guard, and, more tragically, unprepared for the arduous task of re-starting their career.

At the other end of the spectrum lies the possibility that you may learn of an internal posting and wish to apply as quickly as possible. Even though you are a known quantity, most companies want a resume submitted as part of the process.

My intent is not to spend time debating resume formats. There are many excellent methodologies and formats available and choosing the style you are most comfortable with is definitely a personal decision. Regardless of what some experts espouse, I am resolute in my belief that simple and easy-to-read is the route to go but, at the same time, there must be enough information to create a vivid snapshot of who you are and what makes you attractive to the hiring organization. When I am presented with a resume that does not allow me to figure out in 60 seconds or less what it is that the candidate is qualified to do, my tendency is to put the resume off to the side or, in some cases, utilize the delete button on my computer.   

Let’s fast forward a bit and make the assumption you have put together a really strong resume, had several people critique it, posted it on at least five or six reputable search engines, perhaps posted it on LinkedIn, distributed it through networking groups, and submitted to at least 50 job postings and/or company websites per month. After maintaining this pace for about 8-10 weeks, you realize that your bite per submittal rate is running less than 5 percent and you begin to hit the panic button!

You might start changing your resume every few days, making changes that are not really needed, accidentally send multiple versions of your resume to the same places, and basically create a mess best known as Resume Analysis Paralysis. This is a disease which negatively impacts scores of job seekers each and every day.

To get back on track, a simple checklist may be all you need to evaluate your resume:

• Have you listened to the advice of others and taken their criticisms into consideration when revising your resume?
• Do you have a few variations of your resume ready for targeting different levels of jobs?
• Are you only applying to jobs where you possess at least 60 percent of the required skills and several of the desired or nice-to-have items? 
• When applying, are you following all instructions in the job posting exactly as dictated?
• Have you ensured that all contact information is current and accurate?
• Make sure you go into your personal postings on job boards at least once a month and update them, even slightly, so that your resume stays near the top of search results.
• If a job board requires a desired salary range, it is crucial to be very open-minded and realistic as salaries in general are running anywhere from 20-50 percent lower than when guides were published in 2007-08.
• Before hitting the send key, read the job order carefully then read your resume and see if you really, truly qualify to be interviewed.  Of late, many candidates are fishing for any kind of job and actually are frustrating hiring managers.  I recently had an insurance analyst apply to be a mechanical designer.  His degree was in Business  Administration and all jobs were in the sales and insurance areas.  There was nothing to indicate any mechanical or engineering experience or training whatsoever.

If you have not been doing everything on the checklist, do so now and try marketing yourself for another month to see if it makes a difference. Should you still not get the results you need in order to get interviews it is time to dig deeper.

Are you truly being realistic about the jobs you apply for and are you also looking at positions that are perhaps a little less desirable but still related to your field in an attempt to get back to work? I have a friend who has not worked full time in over 10 years yet refuses to apply to positions that are even one step below the level he was at when his last position was terminated. He also believes he should get paid the same amount or more than he earned over 10 years ago even though a) he has worked sporadically, b) his skills are probably becoming outdated, and c) his industry has been one of the hardest hit during this prolonged recession.

Just this week, I had a candidate respond to a posting I ran over the weekend for a contract opportunity in the engineering  sector. My first impression upon chatting with him and then reviewing his resume was that he could be a slam dunk for the position. Sadly, a few roadblocks crept up unexpectedly. This individual told me he earned about $74K at the job he held for five years but was laid off from last February. He has been unsuccessful in finding anything since.

My client is looking for someone contract to, perhaps permanent. The contracted rate will be around $22 hourly and the candidate said he would only consider the job if he could go to the interview and negotiate the pay rate. My decision was to end the conversation there because plain and simple, my client told me not to send people who are unwilling to work at their rates.

Many unemployed people I chat with seem to feel they have nothing to give but want to take everything they can. Right now, employers are all looking for the biggest bang for their dollar. My experience, as mentioned earlier, is that most starting salaries today are running 20-50 percent below September 2008 standards at best. Please make sure you are running a realistic search. If not, make some changes and see if the calls and emails start reappearing. Please never give up. I really believe there is a job out there for everyone but it will take an extraordinary effort on your part to go get it.