The process used in finding new employees has changed and people seeking a new position must also change the way they seek a new job. Here are a few ways of improving your chances to get an interview.
The increased use of the internet has automated and standardized in the way companies seek new employees. Many companies now turn to the Internet for their employees.
In a 2005 study by Booz Allen Hamilton, 51 percent of the new hires in the United States were found on the Internet. This percentage included an employer’s web site (21 percent), general job boards such as CareerBuilder.com (15 percent), niche job boards (6 percent), social networking technology (5 percent), and commercial resume databases (4 percent).
A resume is your way of getting an interview. High volumes of resumes are sent to companies and human resource personnel are often overwhelmed.. As a result, they do not spend time reading every resume. They scan the resumes for key words, skill sets, or education and compare them to their current job opening needs. Write your resume with SEO words keyed to your skill set. If you are not sure what those words are then use Google’s Keyword Search Tool to find out.
The internal HR representatives or the recruiter then often follows upon the resumes that pass this initial scan. Those that are hard to read and do not readily show a person’s skill set are not considered and processed into the system.
This first process of screening resumes has become computerized making it more difficult for job seekers. New Human Resource software has automated the process and a human is not the first to look at your resume. These are some tips to make sure your resumes passes the first cut.
Tailor your resume to your profession. – Use the proper resume format for your profession. You can find the proper format in a good resume book or you can hire a consultant to write your resume.
Avoid long-winded paragraphs – Think short informative sentences when writing about what you do. Recruiters and HR Representative do not spend time reading overly long job descriptions.
A resume is not a place to be modest – Make sure you mention ALL your skills, training, and awards. List all achievements big and small, but do not exaggerate or fabricate skills. If you have, only training in a skill say that on your resume, but don’t forget to mention who trained you. For example is you where trained to use Microsoft products by Microsoft certified teachers it will make a huge difference to whomever is reading your resume.
Use Correct English, Grammar, and SPELLING – People assume many things based upon the written word. Therefore, make sure that your writing is correct and concise. The person reading your resume might not have great grammar or spelling skills, but their desktop word processing program does.
Remember this is the era of electronic resume filing, a good resume is essential. To improve your chances of getting in for an interview, you need to create a resume that highlights your skills, experience, and yes even a little bit of your personality. Nothing less will help you find a job.
