To every new job seeker, why do you obsess over your resume? How many people do you know who have actually been hired because they had a kick a** resume?
Really? Did the new boss actually say, “the reason I hired you was because your resume was excellent”?
The resume can be a door opener. Can be. But getting an invitation for a phone interview depends on so many things.
- Does your resume meet the personal preferences of that individual? Everyone likes to see different styles of resumes.
- Has your resume demonstrated you have the exact skills, and more importantly, the background and experience the company is looking for (or that they think they are looking for)?
- Did your resume get enough keyword hits from their resume reading software (ATS)?
- Did the intern or new HR recruiter understand what you were talking about? Will they forward it along?
In many cases, a referral or personal recommendation is the reason your resume gets read or pulled from the stack of hundreds. This referral may actually be the only reason you were called in for an interview.
Hiring Decisions Happen During the Interview
No matter what your resume says, it is your performance during the interview that either moves you forward or not.
So what will your strategy be to get yourself prepared for the interview? Do you rehearse? Do you practice in front of a mirror or video camera?
Most new job seekers ask for help with their resumes. WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.
New job seekers need help in assessing their strengths and developing a marketing plan which will guide their networking activities. Then they need to begin learning about the needs of their target companies. Only after these things have been done is the job seeker ready to write a document that addresses the specific needs of those companies. This is called Marketing.
It is my contention that if job seekers put twice as much effort into self-assessment and market research (instead of obsessing over their resumes) they would be much more successful in landing interviews (and jobs).
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
