If you’ve ever applied for a job online, you’ve most likely wondered: What happens after you click submit? Will anyone ever actually see your resume? Well, maybe not. Applying for a job is the easy part these days; it’s actually getting someone to see your application that’s difficult.
Thanks to new online tools, job seekers can apply for pretty much any opening they want with the click of a mouse, regardless of their background and qualifications. For example, the networking site LinkedIn even has an “apply now” option that sends an applicant’s profile information directly to a potential employer. So while job boards and networking sites have allowed companies to reach and attract a wider pool of candidates, many of those who apply don’t even have the basic qualifications required for the positions they’re pursuing. So sifting through all the applications has become not only a pain for hiring managers and human resources departments, but in some cases almost impossible.
So how do they get around all the clutter? Many large and midsize companies now use applicant-tracking systems that electronically search resumes in order to pick out those with the right skills and experience. How does it work? The job seeker fills out an online application and the system searches for key words and phrases, then ranks each applicant based on their responses. On top of that, the computer also searches for terms and words that are in the resumes and cover letters of the job seekers, including former employees, years of experience and schools attended.
So what if the perfect candidate’s resume is missing a key word? Well, companies admit these automated systems have drawbacks, but with an unemployment rate of about 8.5 percent, the amount of applicants for some positions has just become too overwhelming. For example, Starbucks attracted 7.6 million job applicants over the past 12 months for about 65,000 corporate and retail job openings, and in situations like this there simply is not enough time or manpower to go through all of them.
At many large companies, these automated programs screen out about half of all resumes, according to John Sullivan, a management professor at San Francisco State University. And it’s not just large companies that need the help. Smaller businesses may get hundreds of applications for one position and have only one manager in charge of finding the right candidate.
But here’s the kicker about today’s confusing application process: Instead of banking on resumes, some companies are now using other methods for finding the right candidate. Some are asking applicants to send in video profiles and links representing their “web presence,” such as a Twitter account, in order to find out more about who these people are. More and more employers are relying on social networks such as LinkedIn, video profiles and online quizzes, which may provide more depth on a candidate than a simple one-page resume. These aspects of potential employees’ lives may tell the company more about how they are to work with, how they think and if they’re even interested in the position for which they’re applying.
But the end of the day, at most companies, resumes are still the first step of the recruiting process -- even at a super-modern place like Google, which hired 7,000 people in 2011 after receiving about two million resumes. Todd Carlisle, the technology company’s director of staffing, told The Wall Street Journal that Google has hundreds of recruiters who actually read every single resume submitted, often reading from the bottom up as a candidate’s early work experience, hobbies and activities may provide more insight into how he or she would fit into the company.
So what does all this mean for today’s job seeker? You now have to adapt to how employers are finding their candidates. Whether it’s through social media presence or a simple resume, you have to make sure you’re getting the high ranking you need. This may mean customizing your resume for each potential employer or using the same keywords and phrases used in the job description. Because the good news is, if you make it past the first round of automated cuts, experts say you’re likely to at least get a live or phone interview with a company recruiter.
And above all, experts still say the single best method of getting a job remains a referral from a company employee. So regardless of how a company decides on the right candidate, the first step is making sure the right person knows you’re there.
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