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I've seen more situations where HR has ignored or misplaced a great resume or cover letter/resume combination than I care to remember. Quite frankly it is disgusting.
I've been on the inside of companies trying to find qualified candidates for jobs, and HR never helped filling any position. I've also been an independent Recruiter and I've been on the outside applying to jobs myself as well - once again HR never helped move the process along, but many times it temporarily stopped it or even ended it.
I don't know what is being taught to MBA/Human Resource majors, or what was taught, but something needs to change. If you're submitting resumes to company websites, you might as well just be placing your resume into a glass bottle, corking it, and then casting it off to sea. I've yet to meet a single person who got a job or even a 1st interview via applying to a web application. I understand the theory and programming behind them, but even with all the right keywords to fill a slot I know needed filling, not even a single contact-back was made.
Having been in the recruiting industry for many years I can tell you your best bet is to do the extra legwork to make a real, human contact at a company before applying for a job there. A contact will be invaluable. You can use social networking tools and the Internet. For most every company out there there's someone you can identify who ought to be appropriate to send your resume (or they will know who to give it to). Just don't waste your time doing anything else. Online resume submission simply won't get you a job.
Lastly, someone commented that cover letters are essentially a waste of time. That person is full of beans. Well-written and job-specific cover letters demonstrate that the job seeker has put real thought and energy into thinking about the opportunity and how it aligns with their skills and experiences. The fact that they actually took time to write about themselves as relevant for the position means to me that they are worth contacting back. Barring a misunderstanding of the position I'm looking to fill, these folks are much more impressive than ones who just send in a resume. If a company is looking to fill positions with people that have "skill x" and has expressed unwillingness to receive a cover-letter, then apply elsewhere. If you don't then beware as that company may look at you as a simple commodity. Simply a skillset in need for a snapshot of time. Companies like that will likely fire you when your skill is no longer needed. Do you really want to work for a company like that? I wouldn't.
Last edited by belovenow; 03-31-2008 at 08:59 AM..
for the record, everybody, I tried to hand deliver my resume to human resources, but a customer service rep said that they do everything online now. i tried to argue the fact that their phone recording says that you can mail paper resumes, but he still insisted. So i left the building and dropped it in the mailbox anyway. we shall see, huh?
I did get a job offer from a job on a company website, believe it or not! The job was listed on a job board and the link took you to the company website. I thought it was long gone into a black hole but 3 months later I got a phone call. Three months of interviews after that, I got the job offer.
I did get a job offer from a job on a company website, believe it or not! The job was listed on a job board and the link took you to the company website. I thought it was long gone into a black hole but 3 months later I got a phone call. Three months of interviews after that, I got the job offer.
well, I have gotten an email from the hr department saying i am "being considered" (i.e. resume is going to the hiring manager) for one of the positions I applied for. Strangely it's the one that i kind of think i'm less qualified for, but i'm still going to run with it. The new question now is how do I dance around the topic with my current boss if I happen to get a call from them while i'm there (the entire staff is basically me and her). do I just not take the call and try to call back at my earliest convenience, or take it and make something up? (i actually have a legit "story" for if i end up getting an interview, ha).
this is craziness, hah. I don't know if dropping my resume in the snail mail had anything to do with it or not, but i guess it didn't hurt?
well, I have gotten an email from the hr department saying i am "being considered" (i.e. resume is going to the hiring manager) for one of the positions I applied for. Strangely it's the one that i kind of think i'm less qualified for, but i'm still going to run with it. The new question now is how do I dance around the topic with my current boss if I happen to get a call from them while i'm there (the entire staff is basically me and her). do I just not take the call and try to call back at my earliest convenience, or take it and make something up? (i actually have a legit "story" for if i end up getting an interview, ha).
this is craziness, hah. I don't know if dropping my resume in the snail mail had anything to do with it or not, but i guess it didn't hurt?
I don't want to cause you to be paranoid, but I do know of an example where a current employer outright fired the employee as soon as he knew they were looking for another job (the prospective employer called the workplace and got him). His justification was something to the effect that "well you're obviously unhappy here if you're looking to leave - so leave."
It was a dysfunctional situation obviously, but consider how you would feel if you were a two person business team and found out that the other person didn't want to work for you anymore, but hadn't given you any warning? I suspect you would be pretty upset. To avoid this situation you need to send out resumes as "confidential" and absolutely do not list your current work number nor employer contact information on it. "Confidential Resumes" are a legit type of resume to send out and indeed it lets the prospective employer know to contact you and not your current employer if they are interested in hiring or interviewing you.
I don't want to cause you to be paranoid, but I do know of an example where a current employer outright fired the employee as soon as he knew they were looking for another job (the prospective employer called the workplace and got him). His justification was something to the effect that "well you're obviously unhappy here if you're looking to leave - so leave."
It was a dysfunctional situation obviously, but consider how you would feel if you were a two person business team and found out that the other person didn't want to work for you anymore, but hadn't given you any warning? I suspect you would be pretty upset. To avoid this situation you need to send out resumes as "confidential" and absolutely do not list your current work number nor employer contact information on it. "Confidential Resumes" are a legit type of resume to send out and indeed it lets the prospective employer know to contact you and not your current employer if they are interested in hiring or interviewing you.
wow thanks.
too late now, huh.
I don't see why they would find a reason to call my current employer before they were to bring me into an interview anyway, right?
Edited to add: I actually am only working for my boss part time. In fact, I have to have two jobs right now. Unless things pick up at my primary job, I am eventually going to have to look elsewhere. I would hope that she knows and understands that. I'm not unhappy there at all; this is more of a self preservation thing. Also, i have not heard anything further from the other company yet.
Last edited by scarletneon; 04-23-2008 at 05:43 PM..
....I've yet to meet a single person who got a job or even a 1st interview via applying to a web application. I understand the theory and programming behind them, but even with all the right keywords to fill a slot I know needed filling, not even a single contact-back was made. ....
This doesn't change anything since you don't know me... but my last three jobs were the results of applying through company websites.
One is a world wide mgmt consulting firm (think slang for alcohol), one a pharmaceutical, and one a financial institution. I put that out just to show that it wasn't a mom and pop shop. In fact, the mgmt consulting firm receive over 10K resumes a day (a statistic I remember from orientation). Which also goes to show why sometimes you will not get a response from these systems.
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