As a real estate consultant I manage people, finances, coordinate professionals to meet deadlines and perform tasks to current codes all while creating a positive and successful experience for the customer.

14 Comments

1. JJJanuary 13,2023 at 4:03PM UTC

   The consultant curse. Employers want employees not business owners that might be too independent. I suffered through this but worked with a recruiter to adjust my resume and interview topics to sound more corporate. I had to remove almost everything that focused on consulting and make it more “job” appropriate. Good luck! There’s many talented people here to help.

2. AnonymousJanuary 14,2023 at 1:15AM UTC

   Laura, I think the first place to start is to look at the story your resume is telling. Aim your resume to get you a chance to speak to a person. Customize every resume you send to match the wording and language of the job posting. You can pour the text of the job posting into an online word cloud generator and see what words occur most often.

   Then make sure your resume shows how you are better than other candidates. Instead of “coordinate people to meet deadline” try something like “implemented cultural change resulting in 70% less late meetings”

   Giving numbers helps hiring managers conceptualize how you can help them. If you don’t have exact numbers, especially from old jobs, then take an honest educated guess.

   Also, if you haven’t go and learn about the resume robots (ATS) actually work and how to beat them.

   If you’re already doing this, then I suggest you email every hiring manager who ignores you, address them by name, and ask what would have gotten you an interview. Worst case they ignore you, best case you get something useful.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 16,2023 at 4:17AM UTC

   There is no beating an ATS. It's basically an electronic filing cabinet.

   What an ATS does: Stores resumes, allows recruiters to manage and track candidates through the interview process, is where offer letters are generated.

4. AnonymousJanuary 17,2023 at 2:31PM UTC

   ATS also filter resumes, often based on key word counts. I’ve written the software that does the filtering for one. Some are simple and some are more complex, using things like machine learning. Getting your resume through the filter is not hard, regardless of complexity of the system, if you know how.

   By beating the ATS I meant getting through the filter. If you don’t do this then no human will ever see your resume and you will not get hired. Google “beat ATS” and you will get lots of good suggestions for how to write your resume. At a base level, make sure to include key words from the job posting in your resume.

5. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 17,2023 at 6:21PM UTC

   You may have written the software but I actually use an ATS - every single day for 20 years. Just because a piece of software was designed to have a certain feature, does not mean the company utilizes that feature.

   I have experience with 7 or 8 different ATS and with different configurations of those systems.

   I and every recruiter I know look at EVERY SINGLE RESUME that applies to our open requisitions. It's literally our job. And why wouldn't we? You know how happy I am when I get people applying and I don't have to go out and source candidates!

   There typically is no sorting involved with the application process.

   Here's what happens (on all the systems I've ever used) when a candidate applies to one of my open requisitions: I click on their name in the list of applicants for that requisition. Their resume has not been ranked. It has not been sorted for keywords. It has not been "scored". It has not been filtered.

   I click "download resume". It downloads in whatever form - Word doc or PDF - the candidate uploaded it. I look at their resume. With my eyeballs.

   I don't have to "google beat ATS" - I and tons of other actual real life recruiters who actually use an ATS continually post on LinkedIn what BS trying to "beat the ATS" is. Please don't waste your time trying to "outsmart" an electronic filing cabinet.

   Keywords are just skills or experience that we use in our search strings to find candidates (which is different than applying). Ideally, they should just be an organic part of a person's resume. Loading your resume up with words you think recruiters or hiring managers want to see may get someone to click on your resume but if the experience isn't there, it doesn't matter how many "key words" you stuff your resume with.

   You know what gets a resume noticed? Being qualified for the position applied for.

6. AnonymousJanuary 18,2023 at 4:43AM UTC

   Different companies do this differently.
   I work for a company with 50k+ people. We can get thousands of applications a day. Our ATS is relatively new and uses machine learning. Not all companies have people who can do what you do. Though, I do admire you as a talent acquisition specialist who actually reads all the resumes. It's too bad this is becoming less common.

   I agree that being qualified is important, but it seems the original poster is qualified but receiving "automatic rejections". So, more is needed than just qualifications.

   Beating an ATS is not simply stuffing key words, usually it is using language similar to the job posting. Each resume should be unique, but honest. If the job mentions "manage a cross-functional team" as a requirement, then adding that phrase in the correct tense, provided it is true, is likely to work in one's favor. Overstuffing a resume with keywords will also get it filtered by lots of ATS.

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 18,2023 at 5:52AM UTC

   I also work for large, global companies - including Amazon. At Amazon we looked at every single resume that applied to our open requisitions.

   Regarding the OP, she may have the experience but might not have a degree - if a degree is required and a knock out question is set for that, she would be knocked out.

   If it's a company that must follow OFCCP guidelines - and that's a lot of companies - candidates must meet 100% of the required skills to legally be able to be considered.

8. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 16,2023 at 4:14AM UTC

   So there's two different issues here. Interviewing and applying.

   When you're applying, it's all about the resume. You need to make sure the information you want to get across is in there. If you're getting automatic rejections, that's most likely in response to "knock out questions". Like do you have the required degree.

   When you interview, you also need to make sure you're getting across the information that will make them see you as a fit.

   One thing I recommend to candidates is to tape themselves asking themselves questions and then answering them. I promise you, that answer will sound a whole lot better the 20th time you say it than the first.

   This will allow you to edit your answers to precisely get across what you want. I used to practice in the car, in the shower. Doing this can help improve your confidence if you get nervous or help you stay on point if you sometimes ramble. You can also have notes or an outline to keep you on track.

   And please make sure you listen and answer the question you were asked. I've had candidates talk for 5 minutes and not answer the question I asked them.

   If, at the end of the interview, you're still interested in the position, don't be afraid to tell them that. Ask what next steps look like, what their timeline is and say "I hope to hear from you soon or I'm looking forward to next steps - I am really interested in this position".

   And personally, I always send a thank you note if I want the job.

   Please let me know if you have any questions.

   GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

9. Mary PoolJanuary 16,2023 at 2:16PM UTC

   Your resume is talking to a computer program, you have to tell the program what it wants to hear, or it will boot you out. You need to change up your resume for every position. Read the posting and include every single keyword in your resume. Every single one! That should get you into the door.

10. Christi LopezJanuary 17,2023 at 1:56PM UTC

    This! Working for state government, I know that I need to not only look at the job posting, but also the position description linked within each job posting. By looking at the position description, I can pull out key tasks and customize my resume and my cover letter to include those tasks. But those outside of state employment don't always know to do that. They may just customize based on the job posting. Make sure you read each posting carefully, looking for any further information that may not be obvious.

11. RichJanuary 17,2023 at 4:57PM UTC

    JJ Pruet is right. This hits anyone in that kind of role. The ATS is also a problem.

    So stop applying. You're only reacting to positions that reach the stage of public announcement.

    So you need to talk to a Hiring Manager BEFORE you apply and get filtered out. A cup of coffee will make a big difference in your chances.

    Start networking. Reach out to ALL the people you've worked with in the past. Don't tell them you're looking for a job. Instead use a simple email along the lines of "Hi Amber, We haven't talked in 14 years. You remember those days? What are you doing now? Can I help?" And about a third of the time, they will respond, and sometimes ask if they can help you. You can then ask for information about what they are doing and if they know of any roles or anybody (at another company) who might be able to help you.

    Don't forget to check out professional associations.

    Meanwhile, go to the US Department of Labor's CareeronestopDOTorg website. That has a lot of useful tools. One of them is "Business Finder." (It's under Job Search.) You can search by zip code and job title and find every company that reported to OSHA, the EEOC, or the IRS that they employed someone with that job title in the last fiscal year (2021). It also gives you location, contact information, websites, etc... It doesn't mean that they have an opening, but they might.

    So build a list of target companies and start using Facebook and LinkedIn to see if you know anybody at those companies.

    Yes, this process takes longer. But you will be much happier with the results.

12. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 17,2023 at 8:44PM UTC

    Can you please share your recruiting/talent acquisition background that qualifies you to tell people to stop applying for positions?

    Please do not tell vulnerable jobseekers to stop applying.

    Networking is great. Referrals are awesome. But applying works too. 100% of the positions I've filled in the last 18 months have been from people who either applied or who I sourced. ZERO were from networking or referrals. Every company had a referral bonus program in place and I also ask for referrals.

    If companies were able to fill the majority of their positions by networking or referrals, they would not need to employ the teams of recruiters and sourcers and outside agencies who spend all day, every day working to fill their positions.

13. DeBorah WalkerJanuary 17,2023 at 5:17PM UTC

    This is so good, and I have to piggy back off your inquiry...I will learn from you, because I have consulting experience in sales insurance, and office managerial adminstrative skills; with a ms in organizational leadership...and I cant catch a break from rejection letters. I would love an interview to discuss my soft and hard skills I will bring to the table in an HR Management role.

14. Liz MilneJanuary 23,2023 at 12:55AM UTC

    Change your job description on your CV. Do a bit of research into the keywords used by AI recruitment tools and make sure your CV ticks all the boxes that it should

    Good luck!