Around the world, governments are beginning to explore ways to safely re-open the economy. As a result, people are preparing to head back to work.

As we start to take steps towards bringing normalcy back to our lives post-Coronavirus, what is concerning YOU as you either A) enter back into the workforce or B) resume your job search?

This virus is showing no mercy to anyone that contracts it. Please take care of yourself out here this is only going to get worse. Be strong and unite to fight this tyrant. Stay safe and help your fellow man and woman.

https://bit.ly/CoronavirusRawNews2

#coronavirus #healthcare #policy #hiringeventprep #healthyminds #medicine #applicationblackhole #workfromhome #interview #stressful

Have You Heard Back From the Employer? I thought this might help better understand why? This article I found will help you better understand the reason. Don't let it get you down!

People often wonder why they never hear anything back after they hit ‘send’ on the email with a resume attached or on the on-line job application. If you’re very lucky, you might have a preliminary email exchange with a recruiter and then never hear from them again. It’s a depressing experience and one which also casts a shadow on the hiring company’s reputation. So why does it happen? Is it you, is it them, or is it just something every candidate must prepare for in the hiring process?

An oft-cited recruiter’s complaint is that as many as 50 percent of people applying for a given job simply aren’t qualified. Adding to the challenge, most large companies – and many smaller ones – use talent-management software to screen resumes, weeding out up to 50 percent of applicants before a human even looks at a resume or cover letter. The deck is definitely stacked against the job seeker. So how do you breakthrough?

Here are my top 5 reasons you’re not hearing back after applying for a job, with five suggestions for ways to avoid the resume black hole.

1. You really aren’t qualified. If a job description specifies a software developer with 3-5 years of experience and you’re a recent graduate with one internship, it’s unlikely you’ll get a call. Avoid disappointment – don’t apply for jobs for which you lack qualifications. Most job descriptions are written with very specific requirements. Yes, the company is trying to find the most qualified candidate; yes, they are trying to weed people out. It’s not personal, it’s business.

2. You haven’t keyword-optimized your resume or application. Job descriptions are salted with keywords specific to the skills or attributes the company seeks in applicants. A close read of the job description is a necessity, as is keyword-optimizing your resume and cover letter, if you’re using one, or email. If the job description lists words in a certain order, e.g. a list of programming languages required, use the same order in your resume.

3. Your resume isn’t formatted properly. You might think distinctive formatting will set your resume apart, but automated programs don’t care if a document is pretty. Help a machine out. Be consistent in formatting – consider using separate lines for former employer, job title, and years worked.

64 Action Verbs That Will Take Your Resume From Blah to Brilliant 4. Your resume is substantially different from your online profile. LinkedIn, Dice and other online profile sites can be useful tools, so it‘s important to make sure they match what’s on your resume. This may seem to be a contradiction – in #1 I advised keyword optimization – but it’s really common sense. Jobs worked, employers, years on the job and other details should match. The subtext here is always tell the truth.

5. The company received 500 resumes for one job posting, and yours was 499th in. Looking for a job is a job. Do your research – know which companies you want to work for, organizations where you sense culture fit. Every morning scour the job postings and jump on anything for which you’re qualified (and in which you’re interested.) Being early with your resume or application does matter. Check back often in the first few days to make sure the listing hasn’t changed. Often a company will post a job and halfway through the process change the description.

It’s hard to game the system. Your best bet is still a personal referral, and even that may not be enough to get a call. A guy I know gave his resume to a woman who worked at a company where a good job had been posted. He received an automated email noting his resume had been received but never heard another word. After a month he asked his friend to check with the recruiter. It turned out the job description had changed, but the recruiter never bothered to let the referring employee – or the applicant – know. This isn’t unusual, unfortunately. So what can you do?

How You Can Get Noticed:

1. Research interesting companies on social media. Find out who the recruiters are and follow them. Many will tweet new postings, so watch their streams and jump on anything for which you are qualified. And if they tweet news saying the company’s had a great quarter, retweet the news with a positive comment.

2. Consider starting a blog in your area of interest or expertise. It’s a social world; time to build a trail of breadcrumbs leading to you. Include the blog, and links to any especially relevant posts, in your emails to recruiters with whom you’re working.

3. Get professional help with your resume. Either a resume writer or an SEO expert can help you increase your odds of getting through the talent management software. If you can’t afford this step, read the top career blogs for advice.

4. If at all possible, don’t wait until you’re out of work to find your next job. I realize for many people this isn’t possible or might even be offensive, but your chances of finding the next job are best when you’re still employed.

5. Network. Old advice, but still true. Be visible, be upbeat, be informed about industry trends and news in your area of expertise.

Finding a job is tough, no question. I’ve talked to other recruiters who say they only respond to 30 percent of applicants. The odds are good you’ll be in the 60+ percent who hears nothing a lot of the time. Don’t take it personally – it’s not a rejection of you, it’s a reflection of the times. If you don’t hear back, know you’re not alone.

Why is your resume so important? In a lot of ways, it's your professional identity...and you're sharing it with folks you've never met. It's an opportunity to make a great first impression and get people excited to have a deeper conversation or meeting with you. There are certain hiring managers or recruiters that are looking through potentially thousands of resumes for limited opportunities in their company. You need to try and differentiate yourself from the majority of those other candidates. So, what does this mean? Does it mean to add fluorescent colors, large fonts, 10 pages or pictures from your most recent vacation? No, it does not. The way to make yourself stand out is to have your professional identity buttoned up and look...professional. Check and double-check for spelling and grammatical errors (I'm sure I have a few in here) and then have someone else look it over to make sure it all makes sense. This is your chance to sell yourself before you talk to anyone from the company, so make it last. Be more organized than the others, format things correctly, don't make things too flashy and in my opinion, one of the most important things is to sell yourself for the job you are applying to. What I mean by this, is that your resume for one position may be a bit different than it is for another job. You can keep the same formatting and structure but you may need to talk about yourself differently in terms of your experiences that make you a great candidate for a specific role. The smallest change can possibly make the biggest difference. In the end, be honest, take your time and give your full effort to show your best self and seize the opportunity in front of you. Best of luck to everyone out there and if you have questions about your resume or anything else, ask the community and we will be here for you. Have a great week!

As a career recruiter, I've dealt with a lot of systems meant to help me sort through the hundreds of applications I might receive for each job. Unfortunately, these systems can make the application process feel like a Black Hole to the job seeker. Here are some tips to get past the ATS:

• Use keywords - look at the job posting and use the exact language that's in the description, including titles & acronyms. Be true to your own experience (don't add words just to trick the ATS), but if possible, match how things are described in the job posting.
• Simple formatting - unless you're applying for a design position, don't use a special font/colors/funky formatting; it is likely to confuse the tracking system and you'll never know it. Stick to a font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier. No emojis, charts, or columns please!
• Use spell check - a recruiter might give you some slack for a misspelling, but a computer will/can not
• MAKE SURE your contact info is up to date! After all that work, you WANT the recruiter to call you!!!

Good luck Jobcasers ~ we BELIEVE IN YOU!

Once you've clicked "send" and your application has been submitted don't forget your next step which is to follow up! Here are some tips to help.

When do I do it? If you were given an email to contact the recruiter/hiring manager, send a follow-up email 2-3 days after you originally applied. It's likely that they haven’t gotten back to you by then, so this is a fantastic way to remind them of who you are and why you are a benefit to them.

What do I say? In your follow up email, remind them of which position you applied for and why you are a strong fit for that role. A boring and generic, “Hey, I applied!” or “Look at my #application and let me know if I’m a fit!” email is not going to move you forward. Instead, take your time and really research the job/company and how you would benefit that employer if the role were yours. Avoid copying and pasting and take the time to really make it personal to that employer!

I need to what? Proofread! Your communication skills here speak volumes about yourself as an applicant. If they find your email is riddled with mistakes or is poorly written it will show that you don't care about the role or their time.

Now what happens? Give them a few days to respond. Chances are they are pretty busy, and you don’t want to bother them. Patience is key!

In the meantime continue to apply and make sure not to place all of your job hopes in one basket, spread them around. If a company chooses not to return your emails then they are not the one for you!

Remember to always move forward not backward.

Need some help following up after you applied?

Please ask a question!

Have put applications for anything nobody ever calls??

Employer ghosting is frustrating to say the least and not a good business practice.

I believe recruiters sometimes are inundated with applications and interviews and inevitably ghosting can happen.

I like to use post-interview follow-ups as opportunities to both thank the interviewer for their time and reiterate interest in the role, but also use the opportunity to nudge the interviewer to take action and keep yourself top of mind with them.

So let's say you have an interview Tuesday at 10am - thank the interview at the end of the interview for his/her time and close the conversation by telling them how interested you are in the role and ask for a timeline for next steps. The next morning email them a quick thank you note, but make it personal; include something specific you spoke about or connected on during the interview, remind them why you would be a good fit for the role, and reiterate the next step that they gave you, eg looking forward to our next touch base conversation on Monday the 12th or whatever they noted as the next step. Then be sure to follow up with them at the time of the next step they gave you. If you didn't hear from them on Monday the 12th as discussed, send them a note around 3pm that day letting them know you were expecting to hear from them and you are still very interested in the role.

Here are a few articles on the topic that I find helpful:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90373513/what-to-do-when-recruiters-and-potential-employers-ghost-you

https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-followup-email-templates-that-are-pretty-hard-for-the-hiring-manager-to-ignore

https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/how-to-follow-up-on-job-applications/

#employerghosting #interview #tips #followup #application #firstjob #stress