No. Your Resume Is NOT Getting Looked At... And This Is The Reason Why.

I get asked the same question constantly. How do I know if someone even looks at my cover letter and resume once I submit them? Short answer? You don't. Unless they call you, you really have no clue even if you follow up or hand it directly to another human being. Once you apply for a job, it is your resume and cover letter that do the talking for you. So you better hope your "attention to detail" skills listed on your resume are a true trait you possess and used when applying to the job. 

A lot of you are probably thinking; what are you talking about, my resume is flawless! That is GREAT! But what about your cover letter? I spoke to a hiring manager today and asked how she downsizes the hundreds of resumes coming in for one position. Here is what she told me... 

"In all honesty I make it very easy on myself and many people mass apply, it makes my job and deciding which resumes I look at very easy. I cut the amount of applicants in half by tossing all the ones that use copy and past to apply and then do not go back and fix all the spacing errors in their cover letters. If it is all one huge paragraph, its messy, has no flow and I am not going to give myself a headache trying to read it. Garbage. Done.

If they manage to make it past that round I take a better look at the top of the cover letter where the applicants address the posting: I am applying for _______ position within _______. If it is addressed to the wrong company,the wrong facility within the company or a wrong requisition number, it is garbage. It tells me they are applying for anything and everything and not reading the postings. It also shows me that my direct program, is not their passion. If an applicant is unable to pay attention to that small detail, how can I trust that they will maintain attention to detail within the job?"

So, is your resume getting looked at? Take a look at your cover letter and think about the last 5 places you submitted it to. Was is neatly formatted and easy to read? Did you take the time to make your cover letter specific to each and every job posting you applied to? If not, then no. Your resume was probably tossed within the first 30 second glance. 

This is not blaming you, but more pointing out the obvious that we sometimes do not want to see or admit. Like I said, your cover letter and resume represent you. They speak for you. So make sure they are sending the right message. Take the time to make sure your documents are specific to the posting. If you have hired a professional to help you create these documents they should have:

1. Made them accessible and easy for you to update the specific details in both your resume and cover letter (job titles, company names, dates and key words/phrases).

2. Be of assistance after they have completed your documents to assist you in making minor changes. This does not mean they need to remake your resume and cover letter each time within the same fee when you want to apply for a new posting. It means that they should be able to guide you to do it on your own if needed. Just ask, and do not expect it. This is how I run my business, others may be different. 

I am not saying everyone does this when mass applying. I get it, you are busy. You are sick of getting no response. You need anything RIGHT NOW to pay the bills and get by. I know that, you know that but the person looking to fill a position, they do not need to know that! Take the time, pay attention to the small details you think they can just over look and give them a reason to hire you! If you are not interested in the company or the position, it is not interested in you either. Even if it is a right now job, you need to treat it like the one you have been waiting for. Do not sabotage yourself.