The Tricky Landscape of Job Hunting
I am currently helping a client of mine fill Relocation Director and Referral Coordinator positions. I am reviewing resumes and prescreening candidates. The RD role is limited to the Detroit, MI metro area, so even though it is a large market, our options are limited unless a candidate is willing to consider a relocation.
We posted the Relocation Director job on Indeed, LinkedIn, and WERC.org. Whenever I do this for a client, I am always surprised by the resumes we get, particularly from Indeed. One of the resumes I was reviewing listed the person's attributes. The first one they listed was ‘aggressive.’ Nope, that's not the way to go. Another one listed skills, and she put dots from 1 to 5 next to them, I assume, to rank how good she was at that skill. One of the ‘skills’ was ‘dad jokes.’ Why? And she only gave herself two dots.
Clearly, people just go on there and apply to anything that pays well. I have gotten nurses, facialists, retail and restaurant workers, janitors, etc., this go round. It could be possible that they have the right personality skill sets, but to be an RD for a large brokerage, you must have some related experience that can demonstrate those skills. I respect that they are trying to break into a new industry, but it is unlikely to happen in this competitive job market. If you have never managed a budget or people or actively worked in a business development capacity, I will probably move on. I am more willing to look at a broader range of expertise for a Coordinator role, so some people who applied for the Relocation Director role are being considered for the Coordinator position.
Be aware that some jobs are posted because the company has to. The company has no intention of interviewing externally. They promote from within but post them to give the illusion that they entertain external candidates.
I want to pass along some tips for those who might be looking for a change to ensure you stand out:
Run your resume through ChatGPT to see what it does. It might wordsmith it better than you can do yourself. Proof it carefully. Sometimes, AI takes poetic license.
It’s a perfect time to brush up on your tech skills. There are so many free tutorials on YouTube and LinkedIn. I interviewed a guy the other day for a senior leadership role, and he told me he didn’t know how to make a PowerPoint. The days of Executive Assistants are gone.
Ask at least two people who know spelling and grammar to look at it or run it through Grammarly. If a resume has a typo, I delete it. If you can’t get your resume right, you can’t get anything right.
Don’t list tasks. List successes. I increased revenue by X. Tasks are mundane, and successes help them envision you doing that for them.
Keep it to two pages unless it is for a government role. They want to know everything, and longer seems to be better. I got a four-page resume the other day; it was so tedious.
Check spacing and font size for consistency.
If you're applying for a job via Indeed, download your resume but add your personal email address, not the crazy one Indeed assigns. When you try to communicate with someone outside of Indeed via that address, it often strips out information.
Make it a PDF before sending it out so the layout doesn’t get wonky.
One of the first things I look at is job longevity. If you change jobs every year, that sends up a red flag. Leave it off if you have worked somewhere less than a year, and it was a while ago.
If you were laid off, mention that in your resume so they know you aren’t a job hopper.
Don’t get too cutesy with the resume templates. Choosing an interesting layout is okay, but it should flow easily and make it easy to locate your contact information. It doesn’t need to have a lot of wild colors on it. Standing out and being annoying are cousins.
If you add a photo of yourself on your resume, ensure it is a professional headshot. If you are older than 40, skip the headshot. Sadly, ageism and discrimination are alive and well.
There is also no need to list roles longer than 15 years ago unless they are really relevant to the job offered. And leave off high school and college graduation dates.
Don’t have a dumb personal email address. It’s unprofessional. And ditch the Yahoo email; it makes you seem outdated.
Dress the part even if you are on Zoom. I interviewed someone once sitting on her patio in a bathing suit cover over her bathing suit.
If you are really interested in the job, look at the job posting and integrate keywords into your resume. Indeed has algorithms that match and rank candidates that way. I always look at the ones first with the most matches.
See who you know who works at that company and connect with them on LinkedIn before applying.
If you aren't already connected, connect with the person who interviewed you on LI.
Splurge on the Premium version of LinkedIn so you have unlimited connection invitations. Start connecting with people at companies you admire with a short invitation message. They are more likely to accept the invitation if there is a personal message to them.
Be careful what you post on social media if your profiles are public. There is a great likelihood that potential employers will look you up.
Respect the process. It’s okay to follow up but don’t go over heads to get attention. If you know people at the top, start there because once you have made a connection internally, going over their heads may kill your opportunity.
After the interview, always send a thank-you email explaining why you are perfect for the job. Ask for the next steps at that time.
Expect silence for a while after you apply. Depending on the position, there could be hundreds or thousands of applicants. The company may be using AI to sort them or worse, humans, who take much longer.
If you don’t know anyone in the company, you must figure out a way to stand out from the other candidates if your experience isn’t enough to do that. Following up on your application a few days later with an email is a good start. Connecting with people who work there on LinkedIn and expressing your interest in the role in your invitation to connect is also a nice way to draw some attention to yourself.
While I try to keep an open mind when reviewing resumes, if the header says ‘seeking a job in accounting’ and the job has nothing to do with accounting, I pass on it immediately. Take the time to customize your resume for the job.
If your work history doesn’t match exactly the job you are interested in, use the cover letter to draw a parallel to the skills you learned in previous roles and how they will apply to this job.
And for heaven’s sake, update your LinkedIn profile. It should read more like a resume if you are actively seeking a job. Complete every section and get as many references and endorsements as you can. There are tutorials about how to make a great profile, or you can hire me to help. Use the ‘Open to Work’ banner and set your profile to alert headhunters.
Network, network, network! I anticipate many mergers and acquisitions in our industry this year. Don’t get caught off guard; be ready if something unexpected happens.
Let me know if you know anyone who might be right for the Michigan RD or Coordinator job. It is a great opportunity! Here is the link to the WERC job posting. https://jobs.talenteverywhere.org/job/director-of-corporate-services-relocation/76734111/
