Why You Aren’t Getting Interviews
I hear it frequently - "I've been applying to hundreds of jobs and receiving zero responses." People often conclude: "It must be my resume." However, even exceptional resumes can be disregarded and never reach a recruiter. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean your resume isn't contributing to the issue. In reality, various factors at play are causing you to be overlooked.
To begin with, many recruiters review resumes in the order they receive them. If you are applicant #300, your chances of being reviewed by the recruiter are significantly lower. Ideally, you want to be among the first 50 applicants for any job posting. To improve your chances, try setting up a daily Google alert for job postings from your target companies. You can use specific keywords to narrow down the number of alerts you receive. For example, if you are a Product Manager targeting companies like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, set up a daily Google alert with the search term "Product Manager, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon" This way, you will receive notifications when these companies post job openings and can be among the first to apply. LinkedIn also offers a similar feature when companies publish their open positions. Many Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) simultaneously distribute job openings to various job boards if the company has this set up. The company's career page is the primary source for new hires, followed by job boards such as LinkedIn and Indeed. However, although this is the most common route, it is also the least likely to result in an interview. Why? It's simply a numbers game. This means that in addition to a resume highlighting your achievements, you must submit your application promptly.
Not all companies review resumes in the order they receive them. Some ATS use a scoring system to evaluate resumes, and recruiters will focus on the resumes with the highest scores. This is often called stack ranking in the business world and is used for making bonus recommendations and headcount decisions. The higher your resume scores, the better your chances of having it read and shortlisted for an interview.
How often have you encountered a perfect job and thought, "I meet all of their criteria"? But then you apply and never hear back. Does your resume demonstrate that you are indeed the perfect fit? Apart from timing and the strength of your resume, the practice of "click and apply" to as many jobs as possible is also holding you back. The majority of resume submissions are from unqualified candidates on paper. Many individuals possess multiple skill sets and qualifications and, as a result, are suitable for various job roles. I can't tell you how often I've asked a client, "What type of job or job title are you targeting with this project?" and received the response, "I want a leadership role. I'm skilled at managing people." The problem with this answer is that there isn't a job titled "leadership." It would be best to be more specific when building your professional brand. For example, if your leadership experience is in Operations, you should focus on positions like Operations Manager. If your leadership experience is in Customer Service, concentrate on roles such as Customer Service Manager. These two positions require different keywords, language, and skills, so one resume won't appeal to both. If you continue applying to everything you feel qualified for during your job search, ensure your resume tells a cohesive story. The first thing a recruiter or hiring manager will do is look you up on LinkedIn. What story will they find on your LinkedIn profile?
I recently worked with a client who was uncertain about the type of work they sought. They mentioned positions ranging from administrative assistant to creative director. Before taking them on as clients, I clarified that they needed to rethink their job search and focus on a specific direction. During our onboarding call, we discussed their work history and goals. Ultimately, they expressed a desire to work in the entertainment industry. Although they didn't have direct industry experience, they possessed transferrable skills from other roles applicable to creative jobs. We decided to position them for a creative role. However, during mock interviews, they struggled to answer some basic questions, which raised concerns. I asked them if this was the right direction and if they felt comfortable interviewing for these roles. They confidently assured me that they were. The result was a powerful resume that emphasized their achievements. Unfortunately, this resume didn't generate any interview opportunities, and a few months later, I received feedback from the client. When they sent me some example job listings, it was clear that they hadn't followed any of my advice about conducting a targeted job search. Marketing Director, Customer Service, Admin Assistant - none of these positions were mentioned when building the resume. Of course, this resume wasn't yielding results because they were applying to jobs that didn't align with it. The problem wasn't the resume but their job search strategy. Additionally, the client had only hired me for resume writing services. When I looked at their LinkedIn profile, there was no consistency in the content. They hadn't used any resume content to create a parallel narrative, so their LinkedIn profile told a different story from their resume for jobs they might have qualified for.
If you want to secure interviews, you need to:
Be intentional with each job application. Do not cast a wide net or have multiple versions of your resume that speak to entirely different jobs. Have multiple versions of your resume that speak to jobs within the same job family - Program Manager, Technical Program Manager, etc.
Speed is key. To increase your chances of being shortlisted for an interview, you must get your resume to the recruiter within the first 50 applicants.
Be specific in your applications. Your resume should focus on your achievements and highlight the value you can bring to the organization. The more aligned your resume is with the job you are applying for, the more appealing it will be to recruiters and hiring managers.
Ultimately, your resume isn't the only thing holding you back. If you aren't receiving interview invitations after having your resume redone (even by a budget resume service), chances are the issue lies with you, not the service.
Oh - and be patient! It may take 30 days to hear back after submitting for a job. Just because you don’t hear back within a week doesn’t mean you are out of the running. Remember the first-in-first-out rule mentioned above? If they bucket their candidates in batches of 50 and you are #300, allow them time to review each set of candidates. If they don’t find enough qualified applicants, they will eventually get to you (on the flip side, if they find enough applicants, they may never get to you).
And another thing - there is such a thing as fake jobs. There has been an uptick in phony job ads, with the purpose of resume harvesting for later opportunities or, worse, scamming you. There is a good chance that some of the jobs you applied for weren’t even real. To eliminate the possibility of this happening, apply directly on the company website (even if you find it on a job board - go to their career page and ensure the job is still listed there. Jobs on job boards are notoriously outdated, filled, and closed because companies forgot to remove them or the job board is slow to take them down.
