Can't get interviews

[Anonymous]

I can't get any first-round interviews (after a few a few months ago), between jobs, it's been about 6 months, late 40s. What would you do? I've not had this experience before; good resume, I'm told. This is more about the bad job market we're in, am I right? Are other people experiencing this too? Feeling defeated and want to work smartly on where I put my energy. Any tips/insights (especially from HR professionals) appreciated. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Me too. I've had one interview after 200 applications since July.

[Anonymous]

Talk to former coworkers and/or bosses. Let them know you are looking. Network with your friends. Put the word out there that you are looking for a job. Gone are the days of submitting a random résumé for an online position. Those seem to go into some black hole.

[Anonymous]

HR here - if you aren’t getting a 5-8% positive response rate on your resume, - so a recruiter response out of every 20 applications or so - there is something ‘off’ about your resume and role you are applying to. Not saying it’s bad. But you should customize resumes to each role you apply for - ESPECIALLY in this tight labor market. Here’s one tip - Fold your resume in half. From the visible top portion alone a random stranger should be able to discern the exact role you are going for.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for responding, particularly the HR person with your expertise. We will get through this, but it feels really hard right now. Hard this time of year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't get any first-round interviews (after a few a few months ago), between jobs, it's been about 6 months, late 40s. What would you do? I've not had this experience before; good resume, I'm told. This is more about the bad job market we're in, am I right? Are other people experiencing this too? Feeling defeated and want to work smartly on where I put my energy. Any tips/insights (especially from HR professionals) appreciated. Thanks.

You need to network. Almost anyone I know who has been hired the last year has had an "in" through their network.

A friend's spouse was laid off more than a year ago, but only wanted VP roles and salary range that quite frankly did not meet their skill set. They had been at a Director level when laid off. I offered to connect them with someone I knew, but this person only wanted a certain VP role that was open, not the Director role that would have been a better fit. They kept pestering me for the private email and phone number of a C-Suite. I refused and they didn't want to speak to someone in my network who would have been able to push their resume forward for the Director role. So, after that I just didn't offer. I found it rude and was concerned their attitude would harm my reputation. I understand they were probably very stressed, but don't be pushy. It is easier to find a job if you have a job. The Director role was filled 6 months after the layoff. Who knows if they would have got it, but if they were not "too good" I would have tried to connect them with more people. It took them more than a year and they finally got an AVP title, but at a place I have never heard of and according to my friend (their spouse) they are unhappy.

Ask for help. People want to help, honestly. I have a couple friends who were laid off and we are all using our networks to connect them to people. Try and have concrete asks "Hey Lisa, I am apply for X and Y role at A Company. Would you mind talking with me for 15 minutes about what it is like to work there?" Or my friend wants to move from corporate to pharma and I know three friends who are executives or senior leaders at 3 different pharma/bio companies. I offered to connect them with one first and if they need another then go from there. You need to be strategic in your asks, but ask!

Tighten your resume. You need to tailor it to each role. Write an excellent cover letter.

My spouse hires a lot-not in HR, but hires for their team and is on many hiring committees for different departments. Spouse also reads every resume that comes through, but cover letters are also really important. Some hiring managers HR weed out the first round, so it is important to try and find someone to get your info in front of the hiring manager or someone on the committee. Even if you have a former boss or coworker who could send a quick email just to flag you could be helpful.

Apply early. Doesn't mean don't apply if a role has been up 30+ days, but I know many places that look almost within the first couple weeks a post is open.

[Anonymous]

The job market is terrible. It took me 8 months to get an offer for substantially less than I was making before. It is demoralizing. Hope the tide turns for you soon!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HR here - if you aren’t getting a 5-8% positive response rate on your resume, - so a recruiter response out of every 20 applications or so - there is something ‘off’ about your resume and role you are applying to. Not saying it’s bad. But you should customize resumes to each role you apply for - ESPECIALLY in this tight labor market. Here’s one tip - Fold your resume in half. From the visible top portion alone a random stranger should be able to discern the exact role you are going for.

in this AI era?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HR here - if you aren’t getting a 5-8% positive response rate on your resume, - so a recruiter response out of every 20 applications or so - there is something ‘off’ about your resume and role you are applying to. Not saying it’s bad. But you should customize resumes to each role you apply for - ESPECIALLY in this tight labor market. Here’s one tip - Fold your resume in half. From the visible top portion alone a random stranger should be able to discern the exact role you are going for.

Hi HR poster - thx for the tip but quick question: if i wanted to highlight the matching skills to the position do i create/move a 'SKILLS' section to the top with bullet-points so human/AI could easily see how well they match the required/desired qualifications, instead of a rundown of experiences/roles/responsibilities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HR here - if you aren’t getting a 5-8% positive response rate on your resume, - so a recruiter response out of every 20 applications or so - there is something ‘off’ about your resume and role you are applying to. Not saying it’s bad. But you should customize resumes to each role you apply for - ESPECIALLY in this tight labor market. Here’s one tip - Fold your resume in half. From the visible top portion alone a random stranger should be able to discern the exact role you are going for.

Hi HR poster - thx for the tip but quick question: if i wanted to highlight the matching skills to the position do i create/move a 'SKILLS' section to the top with bullet-points so human/AI could easily see how well they match the required/desired qualifications, instead of a rundown of experiences/roles/responsibilities?

Generally a recruiter will spend about 60 seconds scanning your resume. So your match has to pop. I’d customize the skills section to match the job description. Put the SKILlS section under your profile statement if you have one. And then follow that section with EXPERIENCE which chronicles your roles responsibilities. If you’re in the private sector list your roles up to 10-15 years ago. That’s it. I know it’s hard but truncate your resume. I don’t care about what you did 20 years ago or your first job out of college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HR here - if you aren’t getting a 5-8% positive response rate on your resume, - so a recruiter response out of every 20 applications or so - there is something ‘off’ about your resume and role you are applying to. Not saying it’s bad. But you should customize resumes to each role you apply for - ESPECIALLY in this tight labor market. Here’s one tip - Fold your resume in half. From the visible top portion alone a random stranger should be able to discern the exact role you are going for.

Hi HR poster - thx for the tip but quick question: if i wanted to highlight the matching skills to the position do i create/move a 'SKILLS' section to the top with bullet-points so human/AI could easily see how well they match the required/desired qualifications, instead of a rundown of experiences/roles/responsibilities?

Generally a recruiter will spend about 60 seconds scanning your resume. So your match has to pop. I’d customize the skills section to match the job description. Put the SKILlS section under your profile statement if you have one. And then follow that section with EXPERIENCE which chronicles your roles responsibilities. If you’re in the private sector list your roles up to 10-15 years ago. That’s it. I know it’s hard but truncate your resume. I don’t care about what you did 20 years ago or your first job out of college.

much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't get any first-round interviews (after a few a few months ago), between jobs, it's been about 6 months, late 40s. What would you do? I've not had this experience before; good resume, I'm told. This is more about the bad job market we're in, am I right? Are other people experiencing this too? Feeling defeated and want to work smartly on where I put my energy. Any tips/insights (especially from HR professionals) appreciated. Thanks.

Lots of great advice here. Re: your later points - it’s the market, not you. A combination of mass layoffs affecting every sector (resumes are absolutely flooding every posting online) and AI increasingly being used to screen candidates. This is also why your odds are far better if you can leverage your connections for an interview. Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk to former coworkers and/or bosses. Let them know you are looking. Network with your friends. Put the word out there that you are looking for a job. Gone are the days of submitting a random résumé for an online position. Those seem to go into some black hole.

+1 you need someone to flag your resume and vouch for you. It really sucks but is often needed even to get an interview.

Or look in LinkedIn and see if you have any connections to someone at the company you're applying to and if you can talk with them.

[Anonymous]

OP, what field(s) are you looking in? This makes a big difference. I get about a 75% response rate on my applications to nonprofits, which are mostly human-run processes, and a 0% response rate on my applications to AI-run processes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk to former coworkers and/or bosses. Let them know you are looking. Network with your friends. Put the word out there that you are looking for a job. Gone are the days of submitting a random résumé for an online position. Those seem to go into some black hole.

This. Good luck.