Didn’t make it past resume review… anything I can do?

[Anonymous]

I am super sad. With the hellscape that is nonprofits right now I finally saw a job that I could not only see myself in but I would be excited and passionate to do. I meet every requirement and then some — it matches the job description of my current position just a slightly different focus (think service oriented rather than government contracting). So I was shocked to receive the generic were not considering you email.

Is there anything I can do? I’ve been trying to work my networks to find connections there. Should I and can I still do that? Clearly something didn’t align on my resume. I just want the chance to interview so they can see what I could bring

[Anonymous]

Did you do generic online application or do you call and speak to a human?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am super sad. With the hellscape that is nonprofits right now I finally saw a job that I could not only see myself in but I would be excited and passionate to do. I meet every requirement and then some — it matches the job description of my current position just a slightly different focus (think service oriented rather than government contracting). So I was shocked to receive the generic were not considering you email.

Is there anything I can do? I’ve been trying to work my networks to find connections there. Should I and can I still do that? Clearly something didn’t align on my resume. I just want the chance to interview so they can see what I could bring

Did you have an opportunity to include a cover letter? If so, did you take that opportunity to really show how the gov contracting is a great fit for the role? Also, use keywords from the job posting in your resume and cover letter to get past the ATS. Open roles are getting hundreds of applications right now, so getting past the submission stage can be challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you do generic online application or do you call and speak to a human?

You mean did I cold call someone on the hiring team? No, I did not do that. I submitted my resume and then have been on the side emailing my network to help drop my name through their connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you do generic online application or do you call and speak to a human?

Don't call and speak to a human! Unless you have a connection that you can leverage to make an introduction for you, reaching out can sometimes put your application at the bottom of the pile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am super sad. With the hellscape that is nonprofits right now I finally saw a job that I could not only see myself in but I would be excited and passionate to do. I meet every requirement and then some — it matches the job description of my current position just a slightly different focus (think service oriented rather than government contracting). So I was shocked to receive the generic were not considering you email.

Is there anything I can do? I’ve been trying to work my networks to find connections there. Should I and can I still do that? Clearly something didn’t align on my resume. I just want the chance to interview so they can see what I could bring

Did you have an opportunity to include a cover letter? If so, did you take that opportunity to really show how the gov contracting is a great fit for the role? Also, use keywords from the job posting in your resume and cover letter to get past the ATS. Open roles are getting hundreds of applications right now, so getting past the submission stage can be challenging.

I did indeed and highlighted where I’ve worked with the org in the past.

Since they’ve now already rejected me is there anything I can do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am super sad. With the hellscape that is nonprofits right now I finally saw a job that I could not only see myself in but I would be excited and passionate to do. I meet every requirement and then some — it matches the job description of my current position just a slightly different focus (think service oriented rather than government contracting). So I was shocked to receive the generic were not considering you email.

Is there anything I can do? I’ve been trying to work my networks to find connections there. Should I and can I still do that? Clearly something didn’t align on my resume. I just want the chance to interview so they can see what I could bring

Did you have an opportunity to include a cover letter? If so, did you take that opportunity to really show how the gov contracting is a great fit for the role? Also, use keywords from the job posting in your resume and cover letter to get past the ATS. Open roles are getting hundreds of applications right now, so getting past the submission stage can be challenging.

I did indeed and highlighted where I’ve worked with the org in the past.

Since they’ve now already rejected me is there anything I can do?

Doubtful unfortunately, but you could still see if you have anyone in your network to talk about the role. It may be that they could still be able to put in a good word, but I wouldn't get too excited. I had a similar situation with a dream job where I was the exact perfect fit, and I never heard back. It's rough out there right now. From what I've been told, the key is reaching out to your network before you apply for a role. You could approach it as an info finding conversation to learn more before you apply. To me that's a softer ask they "hey can you recommend me for this role." Although that would be the goal of the conversation, regardless.

[Anonymous]

find hiring manager or other people on LinkedIn and email them!

[Anonymous]

Call then and ask. You might not get the true answer, but the way they respond might give you a clue.

You might have been filtered by a computer program. Check your resume and cover letter to make sure it contains all the keywords in the job offer.

Or... maybe they already had a candidate picked out by the time you applied - either because the job offer was an legally obligatory one when they had an internal candidate, or because they just looked at the first 100 applicants that came in. People are desperate, and they probably had a lot more candidates than usual.

Sorry, OP. You'll have a lot more of these experiences before finding something. That's just how it is these days.

[Anonymous]

Unless you have inside connections, it is almost impossible to get a job these days. I work at a non-profit, about 5000 employees, and twenty people who were hired in the past month, all of them have connections with senior management. Getting a good paying job these days without having connections is like winning a lottery.

[Anonymous]

I always talk to a human never do online application. Never been turned down for a job, usually get an interview within a week.

[Anonymous]

Ask any of your network that actually reached out if they have any insight into why you were not deemed interviewable.