Welcome! It looks like you're new here. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed so you don't miss a thing! Thanks for visiting!

I had a conversation yesterday with someone who works in the Human Resources department of a local company here in Portland about their hiring process. The company is pretty new to town and Portland is a town of well under 100,000 residents. And yet - her company receives a few hundred resumes every day! In fact, things have gotten so overwhelming there that now what may seem like an innocent mistake to you will grant your resume a one-way ticket to the recycling bin. Here are five easy steps you can take to at least keep your resume in the consideration pile (the rest is up to you):

1. Follow Directions. All the resumes and cover letters are quickly scanned; any applicant that didn’t follow the directions set forth in the job posting exactly ends up in the trash. The director of H.R. figures that if you can’t follow simple directions properly, there is someone else in the stack of 100 resumes that can.
2. Proof-read everything you write before you submit it. Last week the same H.R. department received a cover letter from a recent grad who likes to “work in a fast paste environment”. Their resume is now highlighted and posted on a board for the whole company to get a kick out of. Do you want that to be you?
3. Apply for the positions you are qualified for. If you’re applying for your first job out of college, you need to begin in an entry-level position, just like everyone else. Applying for an upper-level or management position is a waste of your time and of Human Resources’ time. But further more - if they see that you’re applying for positions way out of your league, it looks like you’re simply not paying attention. It is unlikely that they would consider you for a job you might be qualified if you’ve already wasted their time.
4. Appear professional. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating - if you’re applying to work in an office, its important to at least appear like an adult. De-tag drunken pictures on FaceBook; Record a professional voicemail greeting on your cell phone; and change your email address to your name or something appropriate. The same woman from H.R. mentioned above spoke to a candidate on the phone a few weeks ago who kept repeating just how qualified he was for the job he was applying for. At the end of the conversation she thanked him and asked for his email address; his response: exaggeration17@hotmail.com
5. Follow up. Again, pay attention. If the job posting said “no phone calls, please” than don’t call. But do follow up. Send an email making sure your resume arrived alright (if there are 100 resumes arriving each day, you want to make sure your’s is at least one of them) and checking on the status of your application.

These stories seem a little far-fetched but I can assure you they’re true. And while some of their reactions may seem a little cruel, they’re all too common in any office you set foot in, and you don’t want to end up as one of H.R.’s stories. But more importantly - if a mid-sized company in a mid-sized city is receiving over a hundred resumes a day, how many is the company you’re applying to getting? If you want to even have a shot at an interview, make sure to avoid these seemingly insignificant (but easily remedied) yet costly mistakes.

Technorati Tags: resume, job application, graduation, college, entry-level job

Popularity: 43% [?]