The Resume Black Hole Disappointing Proof from CareerXroads

The Resume Black Hole Disappointing Proof from CareerXroads In a Wall Street Journal blog post (For Job Seekers, the Black Hole Persists), theres disappointing and perhaps disgusting proof that the resume black hole is there.  Like anyone in a job search needs to read an article to know its there. But for the rest of the world theres no question. Thanks to Mark Mehler and team at CareerXroads, who put together a fake resume each year and send apply for jobs at companies listed on Fortunes best companies to work for list, we can see how these best companies treat applicants. If this is how the best companies treat applicants, how do the worst companies treat applicants? To be fair, the list is of the best companies to work for, not companies who have the best, most respectful hiring process. Employers (should) know that if you are rude and disrespectful to a job seeker during any part of the hiring process, they remember your company and form new opinions about your products and services that run deep and stay for a long time. Here are some highlights from the blog post:  his CV was loaded with the keywords needed to float to the top of today’s automated job-applicant software. So in this test, they are playing to the ATS algorithms.  Note this is not about networking in, talking to the hiring manager, etc.  Its all about the resume strategy, and, optimizing the resume.  Yes, do that, but also network into the company!!! He was also not a real person, a fact noted at the bottom of his one-page resume.  Later in the blog post you learn that only 2 out of 100 companies spotted that.  Of course an ATS isnt going to look for some statement that this is a fake resume, but from this might we deduct that 98% of companies have no human involvement for much of the process? Mark Mehler, founder of CareerXroads, suggests that recruiters [only] read the first three paragraphs of a resume.  Lesson?  Make those first three paragraphs awesome and engaging! 64 never sent Stein any notification that he was not being considered for the job for which he had applied. This has bothered me for a long time.  Companies, please  give me ANY notification of a status update!!!  I know you have legal and HR breathing down your necks to say nothing, but for goodness sake, be humane! Theres still a lot of work to do. Im not talking about automated technology.  Im talking about basic, respectful communication, and managing expectations. Until that gets figured out, folks, please do not solely rely on the spray-and-pray resume blasting strategy.  No JibberJobber user should ever say Ive sent out 1,000 resumes and I got nothing no leads.  Maybe you will send out 1,000 resumes, but JibberJobber users should use a networking strategy that far outweighs any time spent sending emails and applying to jobs online.  I know it seems harder, but this is how youll get closer to getting your next dream job!  Make me proud! The Resume Black Hole Disappointing Proof from CareerXroads In a Wall Street Journal blog post (For Job Seekers, the Black Hole Persists), theres disappointing and perhaps disgusting proof that the resume black hole is there.  Like anyone in a job search needs to read an article to know its there. But for the rest of the world theres no question. Thanks to Mark Mehler and team at CareerXroads, who put together a fake resume each year and send apply for jobs at companies listed on Fortunes best companies to work for list, we can see how these best companies treat applicants. If this is how the best companies treat applicants, how do the worst companies treat applicants? To be fair, the list is of the best companies to work for, not companies who have the best, most respectful hiring process. Employers (should) know that if you are rude and disrespectful to a job seeker during any part of the hiring process, they remember your company and form new opinions about your products and services that run deep and stay for a long time. Here are some highlights from the blog post:  his CV was loaded with the keywords needed to float to the top of today’s automated job-applicant software. So in this test, they are playing to the ATS algorithms.  Note this is not about networking in, talking to the hiring manager, etc.  Its all about the resume strategy, and, optimizing the resume.  Yes, do that, but also network into the company!!! He was also not a real person, a fact noted at the bottom of his one-page resume.  Later in the blog post you learn that only 2 out of 100 companies spotted that.  Of course an ATS isnt going to look for some statement that this is a fake resume, but from this might we deduct that 98% of companies have no human involvement for much of the process? Mark Mehler, founder of CareerXroads, suggests that recruiters [only] read the first three paragraphs of a resume.  Lesson?  Make those first three paragraphs awesome and engaging! 64 never sent Stein any notification that he was not being considered for the job for which he had applied. This has bothered me for a long time.  Companies, please  give me ANY notification of a status update!!!  I know you have legal and HR breathing down your necks to say nothing, but for goodness sake, be humane! Theres still a lot of work to do. Im not talking about automated technology.  Im talking about basic, respectful communication, and managing expectations. Until that gets figured out, folks, please do not solely rely on the spray-and-pray resume blasting strategy.  No JibberJobber user should ever say Ive sent out 1,000 resumes and I got nothing no leads.  Maybe you will send out 1,000 resumes, but JibberJobber users should use a networking strategy that far outweighs any time spent sending emails and applying to jobs online.  I know it seems harder, but this is how youll get closer to getting your next dream job!  Make me proud!