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#JobSearch : 4 Reasons Your Job Application Isn’t Noticed — And What To Try Instead. Applications are Often Filtered by Specific Keywords. Great REad!

What can I do to make my applications more noticeable? Is it simply that I need more classes or qualifications or am I not doing cover letters correctly? – Pinchas

It would be great for job seekers if there was a surefire way to guarantee their application leads to a new job. Pinchas is correct in brainstorming on what is keeping his applications from moving forward, so he can adjust what he’s doing. The thing is, there are multiple reasons why your job application goes unnoticed, so you’ll have to correct them all.

People hire people, and people are distinct and unpredictable. What hiring managers and recruiters prioritize can differ even for the same job. In addition, technology impacts the process, such as when a filter is applied to search for a specific keyword or phrase. People use different technology, and people apply technology differently – more variability.

The variability in the hiring process means that you can’t know for sure why your application is selected or not, but here are some reasons to consider and troubleshoot:

1 – You don’t meet the qualifications

An edtech company was hiring for a senior HR generalist, and it so happened that this company was migrating to a new HRIS platform. This made the decision team prioritize HR professionals with systems migration experience and particularly experience with the package the company had already selected. Not all HR generalists need systems migration experience, but for this particular role, it was a deal-breaker.

If you had your heart set on landing at this particular edtech, yes, more HRIS experience or even a certification, would have helped. But you might feel like you’re playing whack-a-mole if you try to fill in every gap in your background when compared to all the job postings you see. Desired qualifications vary company by company. If you see multiple roles that you want asking for the same skill or certification you are lacking, then by all means fill that gap. Just recognize that this may not be the only issue.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, Llc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, the UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

 

Article continued …

2 – Your cover letter doesn’t entice the reader to look further

Not every employer asks for a cover letter. Not every cover letter gets read. However, cover letters can be particularly helpful at explaining gaps in employment, career changes or other nontraditional detours in your background. In this way, they play a different, complementary role to your resume.

Given this important role and that cover letters in general are an additional opportunity for you to tell your story, it pays to know how to write a persuasive cover letter. The best cover letters are tailored to the specific company and specific role, so they take time to craft. This means there’s a trade-off between how quickly you can submit your application versus how much tailoring you can do to your cover letter. Invest the time and effort for your dream companies and roles, and use a standard template for the rest. You want to maintain a good balance in the quality and quantity of your applications.

3 – Your resume didn’t entice the reader to invite you for an interview

Companies can receive dozens, hundreds, even thousands of resumes for a single opening. Realistically, the resume screener will spend a few seconds just skimming before making a decision to dig in further or pass. Is your resume easy to skim with dates, companies and titles easy to pick out? Is the format inviting for the eyes or so cluttered that the reader is discouraged to continue? Do you have brand name employers and education that will be familiar to the reader?

Applications are often filtered by specific keywords. Does your resume include the keywords and phrases that decision-makers use when hiring for the roles you want? Do you know what those important search terms are, and do you include them in your descriptions? If you’re coming for a different industry or role, have you translated your experience such that your new target will see your background is relevant?

4 — Unsolicited applications aren’t reviewed

Even if you have a crystal-clear resume, a compelling cover letter and qualifications that meet the requirements for the role, you still might not get noticed if your application goes unread. (This is why applying to job postings is not enough to land your dream job!) A company can hire in multiple ways –an employee referral, a candidate networking their way in, an existing employee applying internally. If the company finds what they need without going through dozens, hundreds or thousands of applications submitted to a job posting, then they may do that to save time and effort.

Many recruiters kick off a search, not by perusing the existing candidate database, but by searching on LinkedIn. Will they find you there? Is your LinkedIn profile optimized – i.e., clear, compelling and relevant to the roles you want?


A thorough job search needs quality and quantity

Since you can’t guarantee that even a strong application gets seen, you need to put as many applications in play as possible. Yes, focus on quality because you want to present yourself at your best. But also focus on quantity, so that you have enough opportunities in your pipeline that your job search maintains momentum forward, even if any one application falls through the cracks.

 

Forbes.com | December 13, 2022 | Caroline Ceniza-Levine

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – The Surprising Ways Companies Assess Job Applicants…

For every job seeker looking for their dream job, there is also a company hoping to find its dream employee. In order to find the perfect match, companies are learning to get more creative during the hiring process to streamline the search for the perfect candidate.

But with so many applicants applying to a position, how does a company really zero in on the standout applicants? Recruiters and hiring managers are screening candidates both ahead of time and during in-person interviews looking for red flags and the right fit — and sometimes you may not even be aware of how they are screening you.

Here are a few new and unique ways that companies are testing applicants. In short, be prepared for anything!

1. Conduct a skill-based test

Companies are often looking for specific traits in potential candidates, such as being detail-oriented. Matthew Ross, co-owner and COO of RIZKNOWS and The Slumber Yard, says he presents potential video editors with a unique assessment test before hiring. During the interview, he will give the candidate raw footage and a set of pre-made graphics and ask them to create a short, one-minute video.

“We evaluate the flow and quality of the video but what most potential candidates don’t realize is that the pre-made graphics we give them are incorrect (i.e. we purposely misspell a word, use the wrong color scheme, etc.,). Basically, we want to see if they’ll actually see the mistake and fix it,” says Ross. “This gives us good insight into their attention to detail, which is a key trait we want in our video editors.”

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

. Scope out your social media channels

Since we live in a digital, social-media heavy age, it’s not uncommon for companies to ask applicants for their Instagram or Twitter handles, as well as a link to their Facebook profile. Recruiters and hiring managers will look at your social channels to better understand your personality and to catch any red flags (i.e., foul language, risqué photos, etc.,) and anything that might not align with the company’s culture and values.

Moreover, don’t be surprised if an interviewer wants to look at your profiles with you during the interview! When you’re applying to a job, it’s always better to be safe than sorry with your social media sites: so clean up your online act because your future employer may be watching!

3. Invite you to spend a day in the role

Believe it or not, you might get to test out the job before you get hired. A “day in the life” visit also gives the company a chance to see how you’d perform, both in the role and with your potential co-workers.

Matt Dodgson, Director of Market Recruitment, says he has worked with clients who will first email a short screening test to a candidate and, if they pass, they will be invited to spend a “mini-workday” in the proposed position.

“This usually entails being given a project that can be accomplished within four hours (the candidate is given some prep materials beforehand), and then lunch with the team afterward,” explains Dodgson. “We then conduct an in-depth interview with the candidate the next week to evaluate their performance and ask focused follow-up questions. We’ve found that this puts candidates on the hot seat, but it gives us and clients better insight as to how the candidate would fit within the position and the team.”

4. Interview via text message

Since texting is the dominant form of communication for Americans under the age of 50, it’s becoming increasingly more common for interviews to take place or be schedule directly through texting.

In fact, tech company Canvas is dedicated to helping employers conduct text-based interviews. If a recruiter asks you to interview via text, don’t be shy – this may be an easy way for you to shine since, after all, you are probably used to texting! And from the employer and recruiting prospective, a text interview saves time and helps weed out anyone who can’t communicate effectively. So if you find yourself in a text interview, make sure you spell-check your text and respond in a timely manner!

5. Ask you to take personality tests

With fit in mind, some companies use personality tests like Myers-Briggs to determine if a candidate will be a good cultural fit.

“During the hiring process at finder.com, we’re focused on finding the right person for the role, not just a person who excels at the required competencies,” says Jon Brodsky, Country Manager at Finder.com. “Our personality tests provide insight into whether someone might be a good fit culturally. It’s crucial that we find the right person for the company and role, because the right fit will flourish and grow while someone who may be considered ‘the best’ will be frustrated and only deliver standard work.”

6. Video record interview answers

During the application process, an assessment might begin with video recordings of yourself answering the questions. While this usually occurs online in the application portal, it’s possible a recruiter will film your in-person interview to playback later or share with those in the interview loop who could not attend.

The more common scenario is that, during the online application, you will be asked to answer a question while being recorded. The catch here is that you usually have to record the video in their online system, meaning you may not be able to edit or reshoot the video.  The aim of this exercise is to get a genuine response and answer out of you, as well as to test how well you think on your feet and to get a sense of your personality. Also, for some industries like healthcare, this is an efficient way for recruiters to evaluate a large number of applicants.

By using Montage Interview Software, nursing candidates at SSM Health are able to express interest in a job, discuss their skills and background, plus showcase their personalities in a way that phone interviews didn’t allow for. Through on-demand interviewing, candidates can complete video interviews on their own time.

The good news is that most applications like this will give you adequate support to prepare for the video interview.

7. Quiz your knowledge

Similar to a personality test, a company might ask you to take a specific data-driven test in order get specifics on your technical skills. For example, a company hiring for a sales position might ask prospects to take a 90-minute online test that will measure sales leadership competencies and client fit. It’s essentially a quiz to test your knowledge and ability and to determine if you will be the right fit for a specific client.

“I am a recruiter and recently worked with a client that used a sales assessment as the initial filter for screening candidates,” says Candie Fisher, Founder of Candie Fisher Consulting and Partner and VP of Client Engagement at Notogroup Executive Search. “It made my job a little more difficult, as it knocked out some people that had strong industry experience, but it allowed the client to have confidence that every candidate moving forward had met a data-based hurdle.”

 

GlassDoor.com | December 10, 2018 | Posted by