You sent out dozens of resumes and still nothing. No calls, no interviews, and no job offers. Before you get discouraged, take a step back and examine your resume. Look at the way your skills stand out or don’t stand out. Look at the message you convey or don’t convey. Be realistic while trying to be objective. Ask yourself if you would hire yourself for a job based solely on what your resume says. Research says that 75% of people would not hire themselves for a job based solely on what their resume says because they don’t feel their skills and achievements come across properly. If you are wondering if your resume is working for you, here are some signs that it may not be working for you.
- You are not getting any calls at all. This might seem obvious, but in this economy it is taking companies anywhere from 4-6 months to put together their candidate pools. Sometimes it takes them longer to get in contact with you simply because of the high volume of applicants. If you sent out dozens of resumes to different companies of all sizes and in different industries and still have not heard anything, then it is safe to assume that there is something on your resume that is not appealing to hiring managers.
- Your resume is too broad. You might think it is a good idea to show many different skills on your resume, but this is actually one of the biggest mistakes people make on their resume. If your resume is too broad, hiring managers will perceive you as not having the skills they require for the job.
- Your resume does not clearly outline your career path. In order to be entered into candidate pools and get interviews, you have to show that you have the skill set required for the job. If you show a divided career path that leaves the hiring managers wondering what your field of choice is, they will look past you for someone that shows a clear focus on their career path.
- You are not showing anything that distinguishes you from other candidates. Showcasing unique talents or unprecedented achievements on your resume is what helps you stand out from the crowd. Try to stay away from expected duties or general tasks that everyone else would include on their resume because that will not make you more marketable than another candidate. Creating a unique LinkedIn profile is another way to help you stand out from the other candidates.
- Your resume lacks a keyword optimization strategy. When you submit your resume to companies, they scan and store your resume in their applicant database. In an effort to generate candidates for interviews during their initial screen out process, they electronically search resumes in their applicant database looking for resumes that contain the skills they require for the job. Since the majority of initial screen out processes are conducted electronically, you have to be sure your resume contains a keyword optimization strategy to ensure your resume gets entered into the candidate pools. If your resume lacks this core component, you will greatly limit your interviews and subsequent job offers simply because you did not know how to get through the initial screen out process.