Optimize Your Resume!
Thank you for your interest in our company. Your application will be kept in file for a period of 90 days. Should you be qualified, our Human Resources personnel will contact you through the information you provided. We wish you all the success in your career. Sincerely yours, Scumbag CorporationHave you ever tried reading between the lines of these auto-responses? Some say, the "period of 90 days" phrase is just a way to beautify the fact that your resume is on its way to the garbage (technically, of the computer.). So to speak, quite true, in my opinion. Let me tell you why. Deeper look with Job Portals Once your resume reaches the main portal, there is actually a built in keyword researcher in the Human Resources recruitment system. This is usually conjoined to the job portal that you submitted in. They"re like twins at the time of their birth. You can"t separate them. Technically speaking, once your resume reaches the end point of the entire submission life cycle, this is how recruiters actually "filter" the good and the bad. Technology nowadays simplify manual processes and this is an example of it.
Optimization
When I mentioned the word "optimize", what exactly comes into your mind? Let"s put it in simpler terms. If you are a money-making blogger, you would know what optimization is. But if you"re an average joe, optimization actually means "smart simplification". Frankly speaking, you can"t just "bomb" job portals and HR emails with your resume without actually customizing each and every application. This is why Job Fairs aren"t exactly the ideal location to find a job! You can"t submit a general application or resume to all companies. Why? Do all companies sell computers and electronics? No! Do all companies have services involving supply chain or outsourcing? No! Simply saying, you can"t send the same resume to a Telco company and an fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company.
Qualifications Summary In your resume, I bet you have a qualifications summary. This is good, in my opinion. It allows headhunters to scan your resume in just a small space. Easy work for them and makes their job enjoyable. It allows them to match --- let me emphasize that: MATCH --- your template with their ideal candidate. Take this for example. These are the requirements for a Assistant Project Manager opening at a Retail Merchandising company.
REQUIREMENTS:
*Candidate must possess a Bachelor"s/College Degree in Industrial Engineering.
*At least 3 years of working experience related to building and equipment maintenance on a supervisory capacity.
*Able to perform detailed analysis and configuration tasks with the overall vision in mind.
*Highly analytical and an empowered decision maker.
*Preferably an experienced system user.
*Background in SAP an added advantage.
*Applicants should be Filipino citizens or hold relevant residence status.
*Preferably Assistant Manager / Managers specializing in Engineering - Mechanical. Job role in Mechanical Engineering or Project Management.
*Full-Time positions available.
What words should the keyword researcher be looking for in your resume? In my opinion, the red words are the ones that the researcher will be checking out. There"s a minimum percentage value to the "qualified" candidates applied, say, like a weighted value, and if you pass this threshold, then there"s a chance you"ll be contacted. What should separate you from the other candidates is the percentage that is more than the threshold. Say if the threshold is 70% of the keywords, and you are 85% qualified, then the 15% is your added bonus. Let"s say you are knowledgeable to SAP, and according to the requirements outline, SAP knowledge is an added advantage, then you are the higher percentile of the rest of the resume submissions. Make your qualifications summary keyword heavy, then you"ll be able to ace the eyes of the recruiter. (Source: Keyword Optimize Your Resume)
It"s not only in the qualifications summary that you can do this, but to your objective as well. Again, a good rule of thumb is to make you resume keyword-heavy, as similar to your qualifications summary. It"s that easy.
Keyword optimization for your resumes is not rocket science. All you need is good grammar and a flair in selling yourself through your resume. Once you have beaten this system, then you"ll get the call yourself, and save that 90 days waiting period. Thank you for reading this post on the Unemployed Employed Blog, and start optimizing your resume!