Avoiding the Black Hole and Getting Your Resume Seen

Building a winning team requires taking a fresh look atbut somehow even with this seemingly deep talent
candidates rethinking how you evaluate potential hires.pool, many matches don't seem all that well matched.
Let's face it. Current job seeking practices andFortunately, there are some great new ways of
recruiting models just aren't working all that well. A lotaddressing this problem. Rethink the process and the
of great talent remains in limbo while candidates whohiring criteria to not only match skill sets, but also
paper out really well just aren't living up to theirvalues, personalities, culture, etc. Recruiters need to
apparent potential.take the lead here and readjust their mindset beyond
It's really not working for jobseekers either. Many willsimply matching requirements with skill sets.
tell you that the dreaded words apply through ourFrustration reigns on both sides of the fence.
website is a perceived death knell to their hopes ofCompanies are missing out on potentially great hires
getting the job of their dreams. Of course there arebecause of parsing software, narrowly defined job
exceptions, but for the majority of job seekers,requirements, stratified qualification techniques plus
applying through a company's website feels likesheer application volume, and applicants are just trying
dropping your resume and craftily worded cover letterto rise above the noise level and make a personal
into a black hole.connection, and establish a relationship. And nowhere
After their resume is submitted comes the great wait.are relationships more important than in sales. Our
Most jobseekers are grateful if they get an automatedadvice to sales people, network like crazy, keep
response that their resume was received and, "if therecurrent with former colleagues, and customers, and
is further interest, the company will contact you."establish new relationships via the web, mixers,
Companies have their own challenges. As an extrememeet-up, industry and professional association events.
example, Google gets over 1,000,000 applications perFor employers, it is time to re-evaluate your current
year and rejects 95% of them. They deal with thishiring techniques. Search for recruiters who are equally
avalanche by filtering out the majority with little to nowell respected for serving employers and job
human oversight.candidates alike. Recruiters should be matchmakers.
For the average employer, their difficulties differ only inLook for those who have a track record of forging
scope. In areas where unemployment is high, 8.0successful, long-term relationships with both the
percent in Colorado for example, new job postingsjobseekers and employers.
draw a veritable feeding frenzy of eager applicants,