Dead – end Resume

You found a job posting you were interested in, wrote and submitted your resume, then…..nothing.  No call, no email, no response at all.  You wonder what happened.

• Did you answer all the questions and follow all the directions given on how to submit your information, and where to submit it?
• Did you do a spell / grammar check on all your paperwork?
• Did you remember to actually attach your resume before hitting ‘send’?
• Did you include your contact information?
• Did you have the right skill sets that were required on the job description?
• Did you apply to the right job?

Did everything correct?  If so, Please Be Patient!   If you are one of the few that responds who actually has all the correct qualifications you will be contacted.  Will it be in the timeframe you want…probably not! Don’t expect a response the same day you apply to a job. Your resume was not the only one received!  Hiring managers and recruiters can get several hundreds of resumes on a daily basis.  It takes time to read through each one and qualify them for a specific job. We all understand you may be desperate for a job, but, the hiring process takes time and everyone’s time is valuable, not just yours.

Once you are contacted, don’t assume that you are a shoe-in for the job.  If asked additional questions, be honest and answer all of them truthfully.  If you don’t, you are only wasting both your time, and that of the person contacting you.  It’s best to be upfront, right from the beginning of the process about everything being asked, rather than to be misleading and having issues happen down the road, as that misleading information can cause the process to take even more time, and, could also ultimately ‘cost you the job’.

Not quite the right match for this particular position?  If you were patient, truthful, and professional every step of the way, you will probably be approached for the next similar position that crosses that recruiter’s desk, and maybe that job will be the one you land for your next career!