With furloughs, lay-offs, and full terminations happening at companies nationwide, many employees have found themselves back on the job search. As you go through interview after interview and send in application after application, you’re probably wondering what the hiring manager is thinking through the whole process. Are you asking yourself: What is the hiring process like from the other side of it, the recruiter’s point of view? We have the answers, from our podcast episode, “The Hiring Process, From The Recruiter’s POV,” when we interviewed Anvil Media’s recruiter, Mike Terry. Mike offered great insights into the point-of-view of a recruiter and what’s happening behind-the-scenes during the process from application to job offer.
The Cover Letter Matters
This may seem obvious, but apparently, it’s often overlooked. Submitting a cover letter with a resume is a lost art among job applicants. “Only about 1/3 of applicants have a cover letter,” Mike noted. He went on to describe his process for eliminating applicants during his last round of hires. The applicants who submitted a cover letter earned a glance at their resume, but anyone who turned in a resume alone (with no cover letter) was instantly discarded. If you want to stand out, submit that cover letter.
They Actually Read Your Resume
And they spend a reasonable amount of time looking at it. Mike admitted he was busy and appreciates an easy-to-read resume, but he genuinely takes the time to read all resumes that come in rather than automatically discarding to thin the herd. He explained, “If it takes me a lot of time to go through these visual hurdles, I’m going to discard that. If they don’t have the relevant experience, which is included in the job description, I discard that.” When typing up your resume, put only relevant information to the position on a simply designed resume. It’s a best practice to customize your resume to each job you apply for, rather than submit a standard resume. And don’t get hung up on a fancy design you think will attract their attention, they just want the relevant information.
Your Job Title Doesn’t Matter as Much as Your Responsibilities
Speaking of relevant experience, recruiters are looking for that in your job tasks, not your job title. “I don’t necessarily look for the job title at all. I look for the specific experience that the job [applicant] has to do on a day-to-day basis and see how those match up with what we’re looking for.” It’s okay if you haven’t been a Project Manager or an SEO Specialist officially in job title. Did you perform the daily tasks that are listed in their job description for a Project Manager? Did you often do the keyword research, web analytics, or other daily tasks of an SEO Specialist? That’s the experience hiring managers are looking for, whatever applies specifically to the job day-to-day.
It’s Easier to Impress Them Than You Think
“What really blows me away is when a candidate comes in for an interview and actually delivers more in their experience than what is listed on their resume and they delivered on the emotional part, that they were truly a driven person.” Hiring managers call you in for an interview because they want to get to know the person, not the job applicant, and get a feel for whether or not the candidate is a right fit for the team. They like what they see on the resume so they know you can do the job, now they want to know if you have the drive, the passion, the sense of humor it takes to do the job 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week. That’s what will impress them.
Follow Up! Seriously
When asked what piece of advice Mike could give job seekers that rings universally true across all industries, the one thing he noted enthusiastically was, “Follow up. No matter if you’re applying to an entry-level job or a senior-level job, follow up. Not a lot of people do.” Something as simple as sending a thank you email or leaving a thank you card/note at the front desk following your interview puts you miles ahead of the game. It’s not going to bother them to follow up once a week, to show passion for the position and keep you on their minds.
Your Social Media Doesn’t Disqualify You
You should definitely set your personal social media profiles to private, and keep LinkedIn updated and professional, but don’t stress too much that you didn’t get the job due to your rowdy weekends. Mike explained thoroughly, “I would recommend to anyone in the job market that they go through any social media they have to make sure it’s private. Because I do look at finalists’ social media and while it doesn’t affect my decision to hire, it’s content that’s out there and data that’s out there. I’ve seen photos of people doing questionable things but that’s not what we’re interviewing for, we’re interviewing for a specific position, and what they do on their own time is their own business.” Hiring managers understand that we’re people. But we should all be smart people and keep our private lives private, even online. Set those private settings!
You Have More Than 15 Minutes to Wow Them
There’s this myth among professionals and job seekers alike that hiring managers judge candidates within the first fifteen minutes of meeting them. Mike noted that you have more time than that. The first impression actually begins long before you’re called in for an interview; it begins when they receive your resume and cover letter. “That’s when I’m first starting to evaluate things, when they first contact us. Then when they come in to interview in person, we’re looking for someone who can carry themselves professionally, that has the ability to get the job done, if they would be a good fit for our clients.”
Good luck with your next interview! Finding the perfect fit is difficult, but worth it. We hope our advice will guide you through your next application and interview process for success. For more tips to help improve your job search, follow our blog.
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