Why your resume isn’t getting noticed
Early and late stage professionals share one thing in common: they’re typically not great at getting noticed when applying for jobs.
The problem is that it’s nearly impossible to get your resume to stand out amongst the sea of other applicants.
You end up overlooked, even for roles you’re qualified for.
You submit tons of applications but hear nothing back.
And if you do happen to land an interview, it often doesn’t result in an offer.
This problem exists because you mistakenly believe that “playing by the rules” or “following the process” should be enough to get hired.
But it’s not because the process itself is broken.
Most organizations are disorganized and/or don’t even know exactly what they’re looking for.
Not to mention, the volume of applications for any given role makes it nearly impossible for people to thoughtfully review the candidates.
We usually cope with this in one of two ways:
Avoidance / procrastination - putting off our job search for as long as possible.
Blaming the “online scanning system” and/or constantly updating our resume trying to “crack the code”
But neither of these strategies work. In fact, procrastination just leads you to feel increasingly bad about yourself and your situation.
And when your focus is on updating your resume and/or trying to “outsmart” online scanning systems, you spend a lot of time making edits and submitting online, but you never actually get connected with true decision makers or hiring managers.
This will destroy your confidence – making you think that there’s something wrong with you or that there’s bias at play.
To be clear, there may be some bias at play, but there’s definitely nothing wrong with you.
And I assure you that there is a job out there for you, you just need to find a way to skip to the front of the line and start talking with decision-makers who have the power to hire you now.
How do you do this?
By focusing on relationship-building and networking instead of tactical steps like resume updates and online applications.
Like it or not, you need to spend at least 50% of your job-search time/effort on networking and relationship building.
There are several reasons for this:
Connections Matter - The majority of opportunities that people uncover come from within their network, not from applying online. It makes sense to spend your time on the activities that are most likely to produce the outcome you want. If you don’t have a big network, your first step is to build one.
Practice Makes Perfect - The more you practice speaking with real people about what you’re trying to do, the better you’ll get at articulating your elevator pitch, your value, and your personal brand. This will prepare you well for your interviews and for your future job.
When you spend time networking and connecting with others, you get unexpectedly great results.
You'll be energized by re-connecting with folks that you haven’t spoken to in a while.
You’ll learn that other people are going through similar situations, which will validate your experience.
You’ll learn valuable lessons about who’s hiring, which roles are open, and how much they’re paying.
You’ll start to think more broadly about what’s possible for your next steps.
And most importantly, you’ll master the art of communicating your elevator pitch, narrative, and value.
This is the most important skill you’ll need to eventually land a job when you’re sitting across from a hiring manager.
This process will give you clarity and confidence around your value.
It may even reignite your passion for living. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true.
My experience is that making big changes in one area of life almost always have ripple effects.
When we change careers, we give ourselves a new path to follow.
We reconnect with ourselves and get clear on our priorities.
And in today’s world, this might be the biggest gift you could give yourself.
A good career will support your life, and vice versa.
If you’ve been thinking about leaving your job or making a switch but aren’t sure how to begin this process, I’m happy to chat. Feel free to snag 30 minutes on my calendar. We’ll get you going in the right direction.
Thanks For Reading!
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