How do I get noticed?

31 Comments

1. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 24,2023 at 7:55PM UTC

   If you're not getting interviews it's either the resume or the positions you're applying for.

   I can't tell you how many times I've gotten to the end of an interview and said "I really like your background/experience but we have to fix this resume" only to be told "I just paid to have it professionally redone".

   What have you done so far in your job search? Where do you have your resume posted? How often are you updating those profiles?

   Is your LinkedIn profile filled out and up to snuff? Do you have the green “open to work” banner on your LI profile and the other “open to work” indicator that recruiters with a LinkedIn Recruiter license can see?

   Are there specialty job sites you could be using? Do you have a degree? If so, are you utilizing the University's job site or alumni network?

2. AnonymousJanuary 24,2023 at 10:10PM UTC

   Yes, my Linked in is up to date, as well as my resume on the major job sites (Indeed, Ziprecruiter). I will have to research sites. Thank you.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 25,2023 at 8:26AM UTC

   How often are you updating your profiles on the job boards? Are you using the SHRM website? I Hire HR?

4. AnonymousJanuary 24,2023 at 8:04PM UTC

   You'll need to enlist the help of your network. They can get your resume considered.

5. AnonymousJanuary 24,2023 at 10:13PM UTC

   I was reminded of this last night. Honestly I don’t know where to network. I am on this site and LinkedIn and when I have been out of work, reached out to friends for any leads. So far none have been successful. I have been trying to find a network of HR professionals. Any leads on this would be appreciated.

6. AnonymousJanuary 25,2023 at 4:08PM UTC

   Are you applying for the industry that is where you've had experience? I would suggest verifying that you are applying for positions that truly align with your experience. I have worked with individuals who think they can list they are experienced after working alongside me with one employee investigation. This is just an example. Trying to help them understand that even a handful of investigations doesn't make them proficient. "I should be an HRBP within 18 months." One college graduate expected this after one intern job. "But I have my degree and certifications and experience." It's all relative; I don't know your situation, make sure you apply for those jobs that you are truly qualified for.

7. AnonymousJanuary 25,2023 at 7:16PM UTC

   I don’t feel I am over reaching. I have over 15 years experience, the past 3 years more focused on HR, rather than office manager, but under officer manager titles. I feel that hurts my opportunities. My experience is over a variety of industries.

8. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 25,2023 at 8:09PM UTC

   What are the titles of the positions are you applying to?

9. AnonymousJanuary 25,2023 at 10:40PM UTC

   As an HR Director, the title doesn't make a difference to me. I look in depth at the job duties that are performed. When applying for jobs, ensure you are looking at the experience required; you will need to be able to speak to it during an interview. When you say "focused" on HR, what does that mean? Are you a generalist level? Did you handle job postings, hiring, creating policy, employee relations, payroll, benefits administration, etc.?

10. AnonymousJanuary 26,2023 at 3:08PM UTC

    Something that helped me was listing my title (which was very industry specific) and then in parentheses listing the title of what I really did. For example, my title was Clinical Supervisor but I managed a program and performed HR Coordinator duties so in parentheses I put Program Manager/HR Coordinator. That way I wasn’t lying about my title, but it also helped with being weeded out for people just glancing at titles and not reading my job duties. Once I did that, I got more calls and interest.

    If you’re not getting any calls, then I’d have to think there is some issue with your resume, either the format or details.

11. AnonymousJanuary 26,2023 at 5:53PM UTC

    You can certainly use key terms for your roles that are not the title that company used for your LinkedIn profile. I’ve been in HR for 26 years and not all of my titles would indicate those were HR roles.

    Make sure to have skills and HR experience in the resume, and as others have mentioned, it is worth having it set up to be picked up via readers.

    Set up your LinkedIn profile to look like a resume. Your title could be HR manager or HR professional for example on LinkedIn.

12. AnonymousJanuary 25,2023 at 6:12PM UTC

    Consider coaching along with a resume review. The right coach (not just everyone who rehashes the same thing over and over again on LinkedIn) can help you with your resume, help you to identify what kinds of jobs you want to target, coach you on networking, include some homework for you. It's not a one and done thing, it's an evolution to get you where you want/need to be.

13. AnonymousJanuary 25,2023 at 7:12PM UTC

    Good advice. Any recommendations on coaches?

14. Alka ChopraJanuary 26,2023 at 2:46PM UTC

    I have 2 for you Ted Taylor - ted@tedtaylorcoaches.com and Geri Callabos- 201 892 0125 Please interview them before hiring so you see with whom you gel with. both are reallllly good . you can give them my referral

15. Vanda LeeJanuary 26,2023 at 2:53PM UTC

    When I was looking last year, I subscribed to job scan to review my resume for ats - it really made a difference.

    jobscan.co

16. ChrishoggJanuary 26,2023 at 3:53PM UTC

    How do we get noticed?

    It's not by submitting our resume to advertised jobs (although submitting applications to selected and carefully vetted advertised jobs for which we are completely and absolutely qualified is an excellent way to get a job).

    Getting noticed, instead, comes, among other things, through networking and informational interviewing, and by appropriately and professionally participating on LinkedIn.

    If all you are doing is applying to advertised jobs, as you are finding out, you are not getting noticed. Rather, you are simply being dumped into a hopper which is already full of numerous other job seekers, all of whom look alike, sound alike, smell alike, and who nobody really notices.

17. AnonymousJanuary 26,2023 at 7:06PM UTC

    I disagree with this. I secured my last few jobs by applying to option positions and knowing no one. Yes, it’s great if you have contacts and can network, that definitely makes it easier and faster to get in somewhere, but not everyone has those contacts. Tons of people are hired all the time through job boards without any referrals. The networking is the only way people would like you to believe it doesn’t happen.

18. Vanda LeeJanuary 26,2023 at 8:08PM UTC

    I don't think anyone believes it's the ONLY way, but what the OP is currently doing isn't working so networking is a suggestion.

19. AnonymousJanuary 28,2023 at 9:14PM UTC

    You’d be surprised. There are people who think you can only get a job through networking or who you know. When I was job hunting, I repeatedly received advice on LinkedIn not to bother applying on job boards, that I could only get a job through knowing someone or making connections and that’s just not true.

20. ChrishoggJanuary 27,2023 at 2:10AM UTC

    There is no one way, only way, or right way to do a job search, and as you point out, numerous people get jobs every day by directly applying to advertised positions.

    You also say that networking makes it easier and faster to get in somewhere.

    But, you say, not everyone has those contacts. And you're exactly right. Which is what networking is all about, identifying and developing those contacts in order to make it easier and faster to get employed.

21. Vanda LeeJanuary 26,2023 at 8:06PM UTC

    I agree with networking & being active on LinkedIn...not only do you have a presence, there's a lot of helpful practices & support there as well.

22. AnonymousJanuary 26,2023 at 9:19PM UTC

    I am on LinkedIn and fairly active. While this seems like sound advice, it also goes with the assumption that those posting jobs and hiring are also active there. I agree with the networking. Just wondering how to do that, aside from LinkedIn and personal friends.

23. ChrishoggJanuary 27,2023 at 2:02AM UTC

    Networking and informational interviewing ---

    I have 2 guides in the Featured section of my LI profile (free, not selling anything), at:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishogg--ohio/

    And networking is not dependent on finding people who are active on LI, or on people who are posting or hiring for jobs.

    Networking is for finding people who know people who know people who are hiring.

    Check out the guides, and if you would like to discuss, shoot me a connect request.

24. Sabrina CortesJanuary 27,2023 at 5:51PM UTC

    Hi there,

    I'm a professional Resume Writer and wanted to offer some tips.

    The best thing you can do for your resume is to tailor it to EACH job you apply for, as this increases the chances of you passing the applicant tracking systems scanning process, as well as bringing your resume to Recruiters' attention when they search for the keywords in the job post.

    Please be cautious when using free online systems, as they are just that. Some services (like free online scans) try to guess the ATS-readiness of a resume, but are not the best resources for obtaining an accurate score. There is no way to correlate their criteria with what your prospective employer(s) will be scanning for. The idea of ATS is not designed to be as objective as that. Most, if not all, free online systems do not have any algorithms in place to distinguish the qualifications of one industry from another. As a result, your score will naturally have a wide range of results that serve no purpose or bearing on how effective the resume may actually be.

    If you'd like, I'd be happy to take a look at your resume further and give you some personal feedback. If you're interested, feel free to email me at sabrina@writewithsabina.com.

    I hope this helped and sending you positive vibes for your job search!

25. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 29,2023 at 9:05PM UTC

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP perpetuating this BS about "the ATS-readiness of a resume"

    That is not how it works.

    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!

    The ATS is basically an electronic filing cabinet that stores resumes, allows recruiters to manage and track candidates through the interview process, is where offer letters are generated.

    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.

    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.

    Unless you're applying for wildly different positions, I don't understand how/why you would be customizing your resume for every single position you apply for. Who has that kind of time? Not me. Candidates - Recruiters do not expect you to do this!

    Please share with us your recruiting background and the ATS systems that you have worked on.

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

26. Sabrina CortesFebruary 1,2023 at 3:55PM UTC

    Unfortunately, this information is all over the internet, and many of the companies I work with advise clients this way. Thank you for your insights.

    From what I understand, there are over 400 applicant tracking systems and employers use different programs.

    Can you please expand on the way ATS "scans" the resume? From your experience, how has the "scanning process" changed over the years? Is this to only put it in the database so that Recruiters can search the keywords and find qualified candidates?

27. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistFebruary 2,2023 at 4:25AM UTC

    YOU SAID: "Can you please expand on the way ATS "scans" the resume?"

    So I'm not really sure what you mean. I mentioned what happens above when someone applies to a position - on every system I've ever worked on:

    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. If they're a fit, I short list them for the hiring manager to take a look at - if they're not a fit, I set them to be dispositioned out.

    Typically, when a candidate goes to apply to a company for the first time, that particular ATS makes them create a profile - they upload their resume and then in most ATS, it does a really shitty job of parsing the resume - especially iCIMS, Workday and Taleo - and then the candidate has to spend time pasteing their company info, titles and experience into the correct spots in the profile.

    There typically is no sorting - or scanning - involved with the application process.

    And yes - this misinformation IS all over the internet, which is why I try to call it out every time I see it. So please stop perpetuating it.

    And yes, there are hundreds of different ATS - so how, exactly, would one have an "ATS ready resume" that would speak to all those hundreds of different systems?

    YOU SAID: "and many of the companies I work with advise clients this way." What kind of companies are these that you work with that are advising clients this way? And what, specifically, do you mean by "this way"?

    This ATS myth is typically perpetuated by resume writers and coaches trying to scare vulnerable job seekers into paying them money - scaring them into thinking there's some secret to "getting past the ATS". If you "got past the ATS, that would mean you weren't IN the ATS and I wouldn't be able to look at your resume.

    Looking forward to your answers to my questions.

28. Sabrina CortesFebruary 2,2023 at 6:37PM UTC

    Thanks for explaining the process, it was helpful.

    To answer your question - The companies I've worked with advise clients to tailor their resumes to the job posts because generally, applicants don't know what ATS the prospective employer uses. Which makes sense, but it seems like you're saying that tailoring a doesn't matter too much.

    Again, thank you for your thoughts.

29. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistFebruary 3,2023 at 5:20AM UTC

    YOU SAID:

    "The companies I've worked with advise clients to tailor their resumes to the job posts "

    What kind of companies are advising this?

    Tailoring your resume has nothing to do with the ATS. Tailoring your resume as to do with the requirements of the position and how you meet the requirements of the position.

    Unless you're applying for wildly different positions, I don't understand how/why you would be customizing your resume for every single position you apply for.

30. AnonymousFebruary 3,2023 at 8:42PM UTC

    She is correct.
    I listen to podcasts, career coaches, etc. They do mention making your resume compatible to ATS. I believe one said Adobe is not compatible with a lot of systems. I have heard, several times, to change your resume to reflect the position you are applying for. I also agree with what you are saying about not having to change your resume. I feel that mine stays the same regardless of the company
    or industry because it is the same position regardless of where I’m working.

31. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistFebruary 3,2023 at 11:44PM UTC

    Most systems are fine with either a PDF or a Word doc.
    I've never worked on one or heard of one that couldn't handle either of those formats.

    Yes - podcasters, career coaches and resume writers do talk about making your resume compatible with the ATS.

    That doesn't mean there's any truth to it.

    That is how they make their money. Scaring vulnerable jobseekers into paying money for something they could get for free. I'm not saying there are no good coaches or resume writers - there are. But when I look at their backgrounds, the majority have no recruiting experience and have never worked with an ATS.

    And many times those resume writers want you to have multiple versions of your resume because they want you to pay for multiple versions of your resume.

    Please keep an eye out for who is offering advice. Is it someone looking to charge you money? Is it someone who has actual recruiting experience - because they are your initial target audience? Working on an actual ATS? Willing to give out advice for free?

    An ATS compliant resume is 100% BS.