Recruiting In Yoga Pants

Dressing up is for suckers

Category: resumes

A Tale of Two Screenshots

March 10, 2024 /

I remember when one of my sons was in his teens – he was utterly convinced that society was “smarter” because of our near unlimited access to information. As internet connectivity becomes more widespread and literally ANYONE can post content, I disagree.

In many ways, access to whatever passes for “information” these days may be making us dumber.

Why yes I DO recognize the irony of saying this when I am myself one of those people putting information on the internet every week.

Recently a LinkedIn pal shared a gem of a video produced by a well known job board. The video is VERY well produced, with smooth transitions from the beautiful actress reading a script (she did great BTW) to visuals explaining what was being said. Speaking of visuals, let’s take a look at THIS screenshot from the video:

Here we see various steps in the recruiting workflow. The voiceover states “the ATS comes between Candidates apply and Applicants are screened”.

Read that again.

The ATS comes between “CANDIDATES APPLY and APPLICANTS ARE SCREENED”.

Now you may be wondering what’s the problem! Isn’t that how it works? It’s what everyone complains about. It’s what job seekers have been told repeatedly. I mean, who do I think I am to come in with… wait…. THIS:

Sadly I’m NOT an actress nor do I have access to fancy production tools and editing. All I have is an iPhone and a whiteboard. Oh, and 25 years of hands on recruiting experience across multiple organizations including a few FAANG companies. I’ve lost track of how many ATSs I’ve logged into every day for the past two decades. Here is MY visual of what an ATS actually does. Notice we’re covering the same topics:

  • Job is created
  • Job is posted online
  • Candidates apply
  • Applicants are screened
  • Candidates are interviewed
  • Candidate is hired

You might be wondering “Ames, what’s the problem?” Simple – ALL of those things happen within the ATS. And then some.

The digital filing cabinet doesn’t “come between” 2 specific workflows. It CONTAINS those workflows. I’ve talked about this on LinkedIn already. I completely understand that job seekers care the MOST (as they should) about where THEY are in process, and the only thing they can actually control – the information they provide via the application/resume.

So why does it matter? Why spend an hour on a lovely Sunday grabbing the screenshots, writing the blog, and screaming about ATSs into the abyss?

Partially because I have an allergic reaction to misinformation. Mostly, because the nonsensical rhetoric around hiring and recruiting actually harms job seekers.

I dislike that. Quite a bit, as it turns out.

Friends, you can choose who to follow, listen to, believe, and take advice from. It’s absolutely NONE of my business how you structure your job search. The difference between me and a lot of people talking about ATSs (especially incorrectly) is they often have something to sell. To be completely fair, I work for a company that uses this particular job board, with some solid success! They’re great at their core business – why they’re so willing to invest in and run with this flat out WRONG information is beyond me – it makes them look… kinda dumb. Just sayin.

For me, when anyone (company or individual) doubles down on incorrect or harmful information, we’re past a single data point. We’re now spotting trends – whether it’s endlessly repeating one wrong concept or repeated violations of common sense. Those trends help me determine where and when to spend my emotional (and actual) currency. It’s certainly not going to be with people and companies who are willfully misleading job seekers.

Do with that information what you will – and for more on what ATSs ACTUALLY DO, check out the playlist HERE.

Should Recruiters Read Every Resume? Part 2 – How To Do It!

May 12, 2023 /

Once again, full disclosure – I do not speak for every recruiter who ever existed. While my personal philosophy is that every direct applicant deserves fair consideration, I am well aware that there are crappy recruiters out there – some of them have actually left the industry and become coaches or thought leaders who like to brag about how they did their jobs poorly…. but that’s none of my business.

So what can recruiters DO when they’re overwhelmed by applicants with no end in sight?

First of all, some insight into how I have managed this throughout my career.

Job seekers and recruiters alike must understand that not every open position is bombarded with applications. Some may get thousands overnight. Others a few hundred… over weeks. There are as many variables as there are positions and companies – which is to say a metric sh!t ton. Job seekers need not worry about this – recruiters most definitely should.

I’ve worked in a variety of large and small companies working on highly specialized niche roles and entry level, high volume roles. My process for both (and everything in-between) can vary greatly depending on my workload, available tools/processes, and support. In those smaller companies (and even large companies when working on highly specialized roles) I just reviewed them all.

All of them. With my eyes. Usually in 10 seconds or less.

Here’s how that works: I dedicate the first hour or so of my day to cleaning up my applicant buckets. I literally block DAILY TIME to do exactly this part of my job – and it’s ultimately about 10-20% of my work week. I go into each requisition, review the basic qualifications and any notes I have so I am clear on my criteria, and do a quick pass. I can quickly move applicants to either clear yes or clear no piles. Yesses I come back for a more thorough review – nos I can get through in 10 seconds or less per resume. Here’s how. By doing this every single day, I’m usually able to keep up with applicant volume, which tends to slow down after a few days anyway.

But what about high volume roles?

Here are TWO specific, real world examples I lived at Google and Microsoft. Note this is based on my actual experience when working there – things may have changed, so verify with current recruiters if you’re curious.

High Volume Evergreen Reqs

Google posts “evergreen” roles – meaning positions that are intended to be a single entry point for multiple positions across various locations. I would work with my hiring managers to open internal roles, with specific criteria for our team. These reqs would be tied to an evergreen posting, and a Channels Specialist would review all those (millions) of incoming resumes then match them up to internal roles. Literally an entire team of screeners whose job was to review ALL incoming applications.

Boolean String Search

At Microsoft, we would do what we called a “boolean pull” – This was in an archaic old homegrown ATS called “e-rec” (we lovingly referred to as e-WRECK) – based on the needs of the role, I would hand my recruiting coordinator a basic boolean string, and they would run a search on everyone who met the criteria I set up. Those folks were pushed to “recruiter review” and I would look at the ones that were most likely qualified. Based on the results, I may still spot check the applications that weren’t pulled through, but it was very much directed by me as the lead recruiter – no bots! Shortly before I left Microsoft, we moved to iCIMS – once that ATS was in place we had KNOCKOUT QUESTIONS!! Woot!! These would be written by me, and I would configure the settings to disposition anyone who answered “no” to compliant, relevant, yes/no questions specific to the role I posted. While I could still spot check “rejected” applicants, I would normally find a good shortlist in the applicants that made it past this first screen.

Knockout Questions

I’ve already mentioned these, but they are a great and fair mechanism to help job seekers opt out. I realize that folks are going to insist on shooting their shot, and again – you’ve got the job search ammo to share? Knock yourself out. If you don’t meet the qualifications (or say no to those required questions) – we’re not going beyond your submittal. And lying on those questions? Well, those notes will live in the ATS long after you’ve and the recruiter have moved on… for me, not worth the risk.

So what’s a recruiter to do?

Inspect your req load

Do you have multiple positions for the same kind of talent? WHY are you posting the same position over and over again?? Look into a pooling or parent req which can compliantly be the “funnel” for multiple hiring reqs. By having a single entry point for applicants, you’re not bouncing around from role to role trying to catch up and undoubtedly reviewing duplicate submittals.

Set time constraints and realistic goals

Sorry recruiters, managing incoming applicants IS a critical part of your job. If you don’t want to do it? Don’t post roles. Go throw them in the hidden job market and give the rest of us a break. Carve out daily time (ideally) to heads down focus on clearing out your applicant buckets. This is time well spent – I promise.

Leverage compliant filters or knockout questions

There’s nothing inherently WRONG with these mechanisms, as long as applicants are getting fair consideration. See if your ATS is set up to allow for these options. It’s also ok to spot check your results to ensure not not missing great talent.

Remove postings

I mean it. If your roles are overwhelmed with applicants, take them down. TODAY. Get through the pipeline you have, and if you still haven’t hired (or built enough of a short list) you can post again. It’s absolutely ok to empty your cup before fill it up again.

Recruiters – if you’re still not sure how to dig out from your overwhelming workload, let’s set up some time! If you’re open to a coaching session with me, I will gladly talk through your concerns and see if we can get you some support or at the very least, some requests you can make of your leadership to solve these recruiter woes.

This week’s video available HERE.

Should Recruiters Read Every Resume? Part 1 – What Job Seekers Should Know

May 5, 2023 /

Ok so I may have made a strongly worded post about recruiters reviewing every resume.

Some of y’all were not pleased 😆

SO – I decided to tackle this topic once and for all! SHOULD recruiters read every resume? Eh…. maybe a skim. Brief review. But at the very least…

FAIR CONSIDERATION.

Now what does “fair consideration” look like? Honestly it can be different based on so many factors. What kinds of tools the recruiter has access to. Volume of roles and applications. Workload. Business needs. So. Many. Variables.

Next week we’ll tackle some of these in Part 2 focused on recruiters, but for this week, let’s talk about what job seekers should know.

Anecdotal data from years in the industry and talking to MANY recruiters has taught me that the number of “qualified” applicants is much smaller than the number of ACTUAL applicants. Most sources report somewhere between 10-25% on average are candidates that we can actually move forward with. One. In. Ten. At best? Maybe one in FOUR. Now you may ask yourself “gee if the odds are that bad, why bother looking at all??” Here’s why:

Several years ago I was working on a highly specialized role. This person was going to stand up a body of work that had literally never been done in this org before. The industry was one that had a high number of contractors, and so finding folks who would even consider full time (vs consulting) was already a challenge. Throw in a few other non-negotiables involving government contracts and I had myself a purple squirrel hunt.

At the time, I had an employee who was in charge of reviewing the resumes. Every week I would ask for a pipeline status, and every week it was “I’m searching – here’s a list of prospects” When asked about direct applicants, I was told there weren’t any good ones, and we’d never find someone who directly applied. After a painful offer decline and a few other near misses, I decided to check for myself.

Y’all. Why did I open my ATS to find 279 unveiwed applicants??

So I did what any annoyed recruiting leader would do. I poured myself a drink, turned on some reality TV, and got to work after hours. It took me about 2 hours, but I reviewed them all. Every single one. Yes, there were lots of immediate no’s. But there were also 10 highly qualified and INTERESTED applicants. That’s right – approximately 3% of the resumes I reviewed were worth forwarding to the hiring manager.

The HM decided to interview the top 5 (further scrutiny based on Preferred Qualifications) and we did final rounds with 4 of them. Thankfully we hired one of those applicants.

A stellar hire I would have completely missed had I not done my damn job and reviewed folks who had clearly indicated their interest in our role.

THAT is just one example of why I don’t sleep on applicants. Ever. Too much gold to be mined in that ATS y’all!

So what does this mean for job seekers? Two big things:

Let go of what you cannot confirm

You have no way of knowing how many applicants actually applied. Furthermore, you can’t know how many of those are even qualified. So don’t let high “applicant” counts on LinkedIn scare you away. That’s not even accurate data – let alone the smaller percentage of folks who can even be considered!

You ALSO have no way of knowing how the recruiter on the other end does their job. Do they rely on knockout questions? Do they trust their ranking system, or do they do a keyword search? Unless a recruiter tells you specifically this or that is how they operate? Don’t assume.

Let go of what you cannot control

There may be 100 other well qualified applicants. Can you do anything about it? The recruiter might suck at their job and leave your application to the whims of a shitty boolean string. Can you fix it? Nope. So why sweat it?

What you CAN control, is the information you put in front of the hiring team. Ideally your resume leave no doubt that you meet the qualifications and then some. If you run into clear “yes/no” required questions, there’s a very good possibility those are knockout questions – saying “no” may be a one way ticket to rejectionville. It MIGHT make sense to spend that precious job search energy on roles you’re fully qualified for.

You can ALSO engage with recruiters at your favorite companies on LinkedIn and other forms of social media. Unsure of how Company A does this or that? ASK SOMEONE! Don’t take bullshit “guidance” from cotton candy career coaches – go straight to the source and get the truth.

Not every recruiter has the bandwidth to reply to every message, but reading up on their careers pages, talking to friends/colleagues who work at those companies and following the hiring authorities on social media will get you a lot further than stressing over what you can’t confirm – or control.

Check out this week’s video HERE

Resume & Job Search Advice – Who Do You Trust?

March 10, 2023 /

This can be tricky.

I’ll be the first to admit that it can be very difficult to know who to believe. A common complaint from job seekers is there is no single “right” way to do… well… any of this.

Let’s take resumes for example. This recruiter said 1 page only. That recruiter says PDF only. And another random recruiter is picky about font size.

Sigh. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Here’s the thing though – there is no universal standard to MOST of this. I’d like to think we can all agree that clean, concise, and clear accomplishments are key. So what’s a job seeker to do?

Relevant Advice

Let’s face it – not all advice on the internet is meant for you. And that’s ok! Even in my recruiting world, I’m pivoting from engineering to high volume production hiring. The advice I give MY candidates will shift greatly – because it’s a very different skill set with a different set of expectations, resume guidance, and interview best practices. Make sure you’re asking questions (and following the guidance of) people who actually KNOW what you’re trying to learn – and can help you get there.

Trusted Sources

Before you take advice from ANYONE, you should vet them! If we’re talking resume advice, recruiters are often a great source for feedback because they are ultimately your audience. Don’t you want to know what the person responsible for reading your resume wants to see? Career coaches and resume writers can also be great – but are they familiar with your particular industry, seniority, and skill set? Like recruiters, coaches and writers can be generalists too – but are they knowledgable about the companies and industries you want to work in? Do they have the trust of recruiters and hiring leaders? Are they trusted or even recommended by recruiters (check out my list here).

Ultimately, you have the responsibility and opportunity to decide what’s best for you. YES, there’s lot of advice out there – and lots of self-proclaimed experts that have perfected the manipulation game and only want to get their hands on your hard earned money. Some services (if it’s affordable for you) can be worth every penny. Sometimes you just need to focus on QUALITY advice, and stop trying to listen to everyone.

For more on this topic, watch this week’s video HERE.

I Tested Resume Scanners So You Don’t Have To

February 10, 2023 /

I had a sneaking suspicion these sites were not all they claim. I have definitely had the privilege of being referred to MOST roles I’ve had in my career (recruiting can be funny like that) but I STILL needed to have a viable, story telling resume that left no doubt I was worth at least an interview.

Reminder – the purpose of the resume is to GET YOU AN INTERVIEW – that’s all.

Alrighty. I tried TWO popular resume scanners, and here are my results.

First up, landing a job at Google.

Now I knew a lot of recruiters at Google but none of them referred me. I had applied at some point in the past, I can’t even remember when – and they contacted me! Now did they contact me directly from my application or did they find me in a search? I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter, because THEY made contact with ME – based on (I can only assume) the information they had in their database – which is the resume I gave them at some point.

See for yourself how I got a “low match” for the job I was ultimately hired for:

Low match?? Let’s find out WHY!
Surely I did better on Hard skills though…?
Plot twist, I did not do better. Let me guess… if I PAY I’ll get the greyed out skills I missed?
Soft skills – in all my career I’ve never searched for “passion” as a keyword. Ever. Never ever.
I did not “bring” it. I’ve brought shame on my whole family.
Oh… I’ve got some negative words for you.
We’ll never know because I refuse to pay for this. Sad face.

Somehow I got an interview ANYWAY in spite of my terrible “low match” resume. When it was time to explore something new, I was referred by a pal to my current role – so many of you may think “oh it doesn’t count! You were REFERRED!” well friends, let me remind you that my RESUME still had to show I was a fit for the job. We don’t do “courtesy interviews” – ain’t nobody got time for that. Here’s what happened when I tried the resume I sent against the role I was ultimately hired for on a different scanning site:

Ok ok – slightly better than half. I’ve beaten my previous high scores on multiple sites!
Word doc, actually. And this feels like points for putting your name on your paper in grade school….
LOL @ education. No it doesn’t, and more importantly, NO I DON’T.
File under “obvious keywords for a recruiter” – hit the only ones that matter
If only I said “Management” one more time…
Y’all… this can’t be serious. I definitely referenced working with business leaders like “VPs and Directors”
Did “proactively” and “proactive” cancel each other out here? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
I’m all about measurable results. I am skeptical.

SO WHAT’S A JOB SEEKER TO DO??

I will NOT discourage you from using one of these sites. You’ll notice I didn’t name names or link back – because I won’t ENDORSE them either. If you find value in this exercise, please knock yourself out. There are limited free versions that my help you – kinda like a placebo effect. Heck you can even spend money on it if you really want to. I waste money on frivolous shit all the time – no judgement here.

Bottom line – these sites are ok at taking a guess at important keywords and telling you if you have them or not – and that’s about it. These don’t compare you to any other applicants. No spell check, no feedback on the story telling aspect or narrative… just…. words. Matching. Or not.

I recognize that for ME – having the privilege of knowing really really well how resumes are read (and by whom) it’s easy for me to skip sites like this. If you really feel stuck and your resume is just not getting it done, try a scan. See if you pick up any glaring inaccuracies or misses. Better yet – find a recruiter in your field, trusted colleague or even potential hiring manager who will read your resume and give you straight feedback. There are FREE resume review sites on both LinkedIn and Facebook – I’m a moderator for both. Staffed by volunteer recruiters, you can get honest feedback with NO strings attached from a real live human who reviews resumes for a living.

Check out the accompanying video over on my YouTube channel HERE.

Good luck out there y’all.

Years Of Experience In Job Descriptions!

September 23, 2022 /

I know this one really frustrates people. ALL people! Recruiters, Hiring Managers… definitely candidates.

WHY do we list years of experience in job descriptions anyway? Isn’t that just another way to inject bias or keep people from getting a chance at a job they can clearly succeed in?

Well, hopefully NO.

Here’s the deal with YOE – it comes down to COMPLIANCE.

I know I know, you’re tired of hearing me blame OFCCP for everything. I’m tired too, but I also understand the logic behind it, and I’m going to do my best to explain it here (and in the accompanying video).

From the DOL website:

So how do we create these objective, noncomparative and job related requirements? Noncomparative means we are not comparing candidates to each other. We’re merely comparing them to the expectations of the role. A recruiter MUST compare the person’s resume to the JOB – and it must be objective and measurable.

“Must have excellent Excel skills” is NOT an appropriate BQ – but “must have at least 2 years experience working with Excel” is! We can MEASURE that. “Excellent” is entirely too subjective. My excellent might be your just ok. With YOE, a candidate either has the required years of experience, or not.

So how do we land on the RIGHT years of experience? This is tricky. We basically need to start from the business problem we’re trying to solve and work backwards from there. We ALSO want to minimize the YOE and make that number the absolute smallest we possibly can, in an effort to screen in as many potential applicants as possible. Here’s how that works:

ABC Company needs to hire a Production Supervisor. The Production Supervisor will oversee a team of 20 assemblers and they’re expected to churn out 100 widgets a day. The Production Manager wants someone who has experience in the widget industry AND significant people management experience, as the team is expanding to 40 in the next 18 months while also bringing a new shift online. Basic Qualifications will look something like this:

  • 2+ years people management in a warehouse or assembly environment
  • 5+ years production experience in a warehouse, logistics, or manufacturing environment

MEASURABLE! OBJECTIVE! NONCOMPARATIVE!

But why those numbers exactly? It comes back to the minimum requirements/capabilities needed to do the job. This person will be a supervisor. They MUST have some background in hiring / firing, people management, mentoring and growing employees in their careers. Someone who’s been a leader for 6 months simply wouldn’t have as much opportunity a someone who’s been doing it 5, 10, or even 15 years. HOWEVER – we don’t want to make that number too big, as we’ll rule out people newer in their career who’ve accomplished some big things. So we land on 2 years, knowing this likely means someone’s seen at least 2 annual review cycles and done some hiring or even firing in that time.

Same with the 5 years of production experience. This person will lead a whole initiative, including expansion. Ideally this person has shipped lots of widgets, built teams over time, and is well versed in the ins/outs of a production facility. Maybe they’ve even stood up new facilities. We’re not necessarily married to an industry (say consumer electronics), so we’re keeping our options open there. BUT – we definitely know we need someone who’s been around the block a few times and gotten several t-shirts.

OK FINE – but what if I only have 4 years and 6 months of relevant experience? You’re really not going to call me?

It depends. If you’re CLOSE – I recommend at least throwing your hat in the ring. It’s entirely possible that the manager isn’t finding what they need, and will be willing to reduce the requirements (this involves creating a new position for compliance purposes, but can be done). Perhaps they’re also hiring a Production Lead with a rapid trajectory towards supervisor. If you are VERY CLOSE – it may be worth applying, as long as you understand you’re competing with others who may fit the minimum requirements and then some.

A red flag to watch out for is MAXIMUM years of experience. A job post that says “2-5 years of experience in X” sets off all kinds of alarms for me. That can be (unintentional) code for “we want someone young”. Nope!

This idea around MEASURABLE requirements and using minimum years of experience has been beaten into my head as long as I’ve been in recruiting. Recruiting managers, OFCCP trainers, lawyers, you name it – they’ve all told me this is the way to do it. If someone has a workaround, please share!

Until then, I’ll be following the guidance I’ve been given and keeping myself out of the auditor’s office.

Do I NEED A Resume Template?

September 2, 2022 /

Let’s start by understanding the purpose of a resume. To land an interview. That’s it. Templates have been around for a long time (at least since word processing software has been a thing) and some are rather… creative. I’ve seen all kinds of graphics, videos, nonsensical rankings, lots of noise and unnecessary fluff that can actually detract from the resume’s main purpose.

But do you NEED a template? This is incredibly subjective and depends on your personal level of comfort in creating a doc. Some folks may stare at a blank page and not know where to begin. Others get completely thrown by having too much structure.

I’m DEFINITELY in the latter camp.

My writing and content creation style follows 3 simple steps: Write – Edit – Format

✍️ Write
Just start typing! Here is where I pull up a blank doc and just start data dumping everything I can remember about my job duties and accomplishments. Don’t worry about misspellings, or bad grammar. We’ll get to that. Right now, we’re just WRITING. Get all that info out and onto the page.

✍️ Edit
Remember that bad grammar and spelling we ignored? Now go fix it. Make adjustments to the content and review the specifics. Focus on measurable achievements, checking for numbers, percentages, or any other “proof” of the amazing work you’ve done. We can almost see the finish line!

✍️ Format
Once your content is where you want it, now you make it pretty. This is where you can adjust your font size, add bullet points, bold or italics – anything that makes your resume easy to read. This may also be a good time to grab a template you like and either mimic it, or copy / paste your revised content into the format you prefer.

It is ALWAYS helpful to sanity check your final version with recruiters and business leaders in your industry who can speak to any nuances preferred (or required!) such as portfolio links, documentation. Make sure you’re not missing anything specific to the kind of work you want to do that folks will expect to see on a resume.

If you’re completely baffled by this whole process and are looking for paid, professional help check out my list of resume writers and coaches HERE.

Check out this week’s AMA video on this topic HERE.

The ONE Thing Job Seekers Can Control

January 4, 2021 /

 Y’all I’m going to drop some very loving truth bombs right now. Prepare yourself.

No one – NO ONE – is responsible for your job search but YOU – the job seeker. Not recruiters. Not hiring managers. Not HR. Not your momma. ONLY you. While any number of these people can help you as you navigate your search, the actions you take are ultimately yours and yours alone. 

Of course the obvious push back to this (and rightly so) is that job search is so f*cking confusing. Apply to everything. Don’t apply to anything. Network. Show your value. Have 47 versions of your resume. Don’t make a resume at all. Stand out. Stand in. Stand over there. Stand on your head.

 

 

WHAT IS A JOB SEEKER TO DO?

There is exactly ONE THING in this entire process start to finish that is 100% in YOUR control. That is the information you choose to provide to a company/hiring manager/recruiter. It is usually in the form of a resume, possibly a cover letter, and almost certainly information in an online application. Before we talk about that, let’s start by getting clear on some of the fundamentals. The usual caveats apply here – your personal mileage may vary. Your friend’s neighbor’s cousin’s ex-boyfriend once dated a girl who’s sister had a COMPLETELY different experience. Cool. You’re free to chase whatever thought leader feel good nonsense you like. If you’re open to some tough truths that may give you a fresh perspective, read on!

Job Descriptions

MOST job descriptions are written by business leaders. A lot of the formatting or required fields are created and approved by HR, Marketing, and Legal – but typically the meat of the JD is created or at least influenced by the managers, who know what it is they want to hire for. We hear a LOT of complaining about “entry-level” job descriptions requiring 5+ years of experience. Guess what? Those roles are not entry level. I am not sure why they are classified as such – they’re not. This article from Indeed describes “entry-level” as follows – 

 

  • “Degree not required” entry-level jobs: These types of entry-level jobs do not require a college degree and may not require any previous experience. Examples of jobs in this segment include data entry, technicians, retail and sales positions and administrative positions.
  • True entry-level jobs: True entry-level jobs are those that you can typically get upon graduation from college. These positions require applicants to have an undergraduate degree and possibly internship experience. Examples of true entry-level jobs can be found in the career fields of marketing, healthcare, law and finance.
  • “Professional experience required” entry-level jobs: This type of entry-level position requires applicants to have at least one to three years of full-time, professional experience in the field. Employers are looking to fill these types of roles with professionals that require minimal training and guidance during on-boarding. These entry-level jobs are commonly found in the areas of business, science and technology.
Now most of us would agree that that requiring ANY experience makes a role by definition *not* entry level, but there you have it. Fortunately, depending on the organization – “experience” MAY include research projects, internships, or certain academic experiences. This is also a good time to point out that a number of large companies, particularly in tech, have a very specific model for hiring new grads. There are literally entire groups of recruiters dedicated to Campus Hiring – college students and fresh grads often find themselves frustrated by trying to apply to industry roles (aka NOT true “entry level”) with companies who’s recruiters aren’t even allowed to talk to them. More on that in an upcoming AMA video. 
 
Of course mistakes are still made. Lots of fun is poked at ridiculous postings like the one asking for 12 years of experience in a 6 year old technology. It’s embarrassing, funny, and thankfully RARE. 
 
Speaking of Job Descriptions….
 
Basic Qualifications
 
For companies in the US subject to OFCCP requirements, Basic Qualifications (BQs) are NOT negotiable. EEO rules require these companies to create minimum qualifications that can be measurable and easily identified on a resume. Frequently Asked Questions found here provide a pretty decent breakdown of what a BQ actually IS, along with some other info. A lot of job seekers make the mistake of assuming this only applies to federal contractors – while this is technically correct, any company doing business to the tune of 10K or more annually is a Federal Contractor. Looking at you, most big tech companies. And banks. Basically anyone who does business with the government. This could be selling cloud services, advertising, equipment… the list is probably a lot longer than you think. Bottom line, companies have a responsibility to make BQs as minimal and fair as possible, but job seekers ALSO have a responsibility to make sure their application speaks to their fit for those qualifications.
 
If you’re “close” – it may make sense to apply anyway. Smart recruiters will look at these “near miss” applicants and try to map them up to more junior roles or short list them for future hiring needs. They may also use them as a reason to go back to the hiring manager and say “LOOK AT ALL THE NEAR MISSES WE HAVE” – and come away with a newly redefined role that you’re now a perfect fit for.
 
Companies (and their hiring managers / recruiters) have a RESPONSIBILITY to be as clear, succinct, and reasonable as possible in their job postings. I understand this is not always the case. As job seekers, we can’t control that. We can only work with the information we have, and respond accordingly. Which means…
 
Resumes
 
Ah… NOW we’re at the part that you can control, full stop. We’ve found a job that’s right for us. We meet the qualifications, and we’re ready to apply! If you’re worried about the dreaded ATS, watch this video. Even though we’ve told you time and again about humans reviewing your resume, it’s important to note what those humans are looking for. Generally speaking, they want to see “proof” that you can do the job. Context is important – just matching keywords rarely gets you past a quick view. Your resume is usually the first thing a prospective hiring manager or recruiter will read from you. It’s also the one thing that is completely within your control. 
 
YOU get to control what is in your resume. You decide the format, the context, the keywords. While there is a lot of guidance out there, including some worth every penny resume writers, it’s still YOUR resume, and you get to decide what to put on it. There’s literally no one policing this. So why wouldn’t you choose to optimize it for the people you want to read it?
 
I’ve shared the story before about the job seeker I was attempting to help who wanted a job as a forklift driver. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting calls, as he had significant experience in this field. When he showed me the resume he was using to apply, there was not a single mention of forklifts. None any of the certifications he had. NOTHING that would indicate he’d ever set foot in a warehouse. There was NO changing his mind that online applications and the assholes behind them weren’t at fault. What he failed to accept was that his resume, the information he was providing, was completely on him. He couldn’t control what companies were posting. He couldn’t tell them which ATS to use, or how to structure interviews. The information he was putting in front of them? That was all him. And he refused to see the errors he was making. 
 
As a job seeker, you can’t guarantee job descriptions will be well written. You can’t be sure the recruiters on the other end of the ATS knows what they’re looking for. You can’t even really predict the format of an interview and can only do your best to influence the outcome. You CAN control the information you’re putting forward as an introduction. Instead of bitching that a company is focusing on required skills, maybe just take a minute to make sure you’re talking about your expertise in said skills? We hear this a lot in industry changers – for example, a job seeker noted they use “EPC” in their industry, whereas in tech the terminology would be “engineering supply chain”. Now we can agree that any recruiter or hiring manager worth their ATS log in could recognize interchangeable terms like this, why leave it to chance? The more you mirror the language in the JD (aka what the managers are looking for), the less you have to worry about silly “keyword” matching. 
 
YOU decide what companies you want to apply to.
YOU decide which roles you fit the qualifications for.
YOU decide what information to put forward in the application, networking email, and resume.
 
For more insight, check out my All About Resumes Playlist – and take charge of the one thing you are fully in control of.
 
 

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© 2024 Recruiting In Yoga Pants

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑