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Industry News and Information

New Job Search Tools

Yvonne LaRose AvatarYvonne LaRose
October 11, 2005


So many times, people think of their resume and the end of the job search Nirvana. They spend hours, if not days, perfecting not only how it looks on paper but how it will look when it’s faxed. Some diligently work on sending an ASCII version of their resume so that it will retain its formatting and legibility.


Have you been to a career development fair where the panelists, or even the moderator, try to hammer into your head that you should fax or email your resume and cover letter to job postings and recruiters? Have you been to one of these where they tell you about the current tools recruiters and HR folks use, why they are anxious for you to submit your resume via their website — instead of faxing?
I’ve got two thoughts happening here. One is about the current tools. The other is about the traditional tool. Let’s start with the traditional tool.
The Resume and Cover Letter
It seems no one is thinking of the resume as a tool in order to gain the interest of some recruiter on the other side of their screen. It’s bait on the hook. It’s the allure of the walk. It’s the “come hither” of the scent. It’s a tool.
So’s the cover letter. Same principles apply. And another thing people don’t seem to be understanding is that the cover letter is emailed as the body of an email these days. Heather Hamilton talks about sending the resume and email cover letter in one of her blogs. She’s spot on as to accuracy. She talks about the best cover letter ever that she’s received.
Keep it brief. Time is precious. People don’t have a lot of it. Be as tactful but to the point as possible. Know who you are. Know what you are. Know what you have to offer. Ask for it. Show why you’re “it” (in numbers or accomplishments).
Recruiter Tools
Too many times, some kindly folks want to give advice about applying for a job but their information is as dated as dinosaurs. Do people still mail resumes? Do people still pay money to get the resume and cover letter to a potential employer when we have all of this free access and communication stream called the Internet? If a recruiter receives a hard copy of the resume (and only the hard copy), there’s a higher likelihood that you’ll not hear from them. The most beautiful resume in the world will get buried on the desk. It will wait days, weeks, to be scanned into the Applicant Tracking (or Management) System so that the recruiter can call up your information in an instant and match your qualities against a new call for talent.
It’s a good idea to attend these career fairs and learn as much as possible about job search strategies. But listen to the advice with a grain of salt. If they’re not telling you about the most current technology recruiters, companies, and HR people are using, they’re doing you a disservice. You need to know so that you can deliver to them in the most efficient way possible. If they can access YOU right away, you’ll be in the eye of the employer that much faster than your competition. Learn about recruiting tools as you learn how to do your job search so that you’ll know how to submit in the most effective way.
I guess I’m on my high horse right now because during this morning’s recruiters networking meeting, a job seeker came into the room and wondered what an ATS is. There was some brief explanation. But it would do one a good turn to know that we’re just not using typewriters anymore (substitute mailed resumes). We have computers that use data keys and compact disks to store information (substitute ATS and online submission).

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