Resumes, Networking & Following Up
During our presentations to job seekers, Jay likes to point out these “following-up” statistics:
- When you DO NOT follow up during the job search process, your chances of getting hired are 1 in 256.
- When you DO follow up during the job search process, your chances of getting hired change to 1 in 16.
These numbers simply prove what I have often observed over the years.
Following up on resume submittal
Imagine this scenario…
You’re a recruiter, and you have just posted a position on one of the major job boards. Through the course of the day, you receive 200 plus resumes. You realize that you cannot possibly review every single one of these resumes, but you dig in anyway and start with the first ones that arrived earlier that day. You see a few possible qualified candidates, but there are some obvious mismatches too. You get through about 20 emails, and you just have to stop because this is feeling a bit overwhelming right now. Besides, you’ve got other emails to answer, and your voicemail light is blinking. You decide it’s time to take a break from resume purgatory. Just then you get a phone call. Welcoming the “interruption,” you answer – something that you don’t always do because you prefer to screen your calls so you can manage your time better.
“Hi, this is John Doe. I’m calling to make sure you received my resume this afternoon since you never know if an email will make past spam filters and such.”
“Hold on, John, let me check.”
You put this guy on hold, look through your emails, and, bingo, you see his email. You open the attached resume, and, wow, he looks strong. You get back on the line and phone screen (that’s recruiter-speak for conducting an initial phone interview) him on the spot. You end up inviting him in for a face-to-face interview next Tuesday morning.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, guess what folks, this recruiter was me on countless occasions during my 15-year career in the staffing industry.
Following up on networking
I often talk to audiences and clients about the importance of following up with folks in your network during the job search process. Thanking them for leads, letting them know periodically how you’re doing, definitely telling them when you land, etc. In the video below, Mr. Ferrazzi says it so eloquently – enjoy!
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