Contributed by Alan Rohlfing
(This is one of a series of posts focused on employment assistance. Check back weekly for observations on a variety of employment and self-employment topics.)
Getting a job…one of those timeless tasks. One that surely won’t ever go away, for gainful employment is a hallmark of a productive society (I think someone important said that, but I don’t recall who). I’d venture a guess that most of us remember well our first job…how we found out about it, how we applied (was it just a quick conversation with the boss?), and the lasting impressions – both good and bad – that it likely left on us.
Unless you’re in the younger percentile of our audience’s demographics, though, the methods you may have used to land that first job are significantly different than finding a job today. While I suppose some of us still punch out our resumes and cover letters on that faithful old IBM Selectric typewriter we have sitting in the den, the rest of us have had to adapt and welcome – dare I say, embrace – the advent of technology and how it has made an impact on the recruiting and selection process for today’s workforce.
For the rest of this post, we’re going to talk strategically (30,000-foot view) about just how some of that technology has made its presence felt for those of us in the job search. Perhaps we’ll get in the weeds in future employment assistance posts, especially if we can connect with subject-matter experts that deal with these tools on a regular basis and have them on as guest contributors. Not only would that free me from the keyboard (just kidding), but it would likely be information with a level of detail that would be useful to job-seekers immediately. Trust me when I say that we’re working on making those connections.
In the meantime, here is a very short summary of a group of modules that was put together by one of those subject-matter experts I mentioned above: St. Louis-area workforce development ‘trainer-extraordinaire’, Frank Alaniz. Frank is an Air Force Veteran, colleague, mentor, and friend, and he’s helped literally thousands of job-seekers over the last twenty years find gainful employment. Between his grasp of technology and his tremendous network of employers, he’s been able to stay current on the latest hiring practices and pass that knowledge along to his clients and workshop attendees. And before I forget, if you’re interested, you can connect with Frank on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/frankalaniz).
-Looking online: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). It’s estimated that about 95% of businesses use software programs to handle their recruitment process. The ATS searches resumes – sometimes thousands of them – for keywords that match the job description in order to help determine the human “best fit” for the position. But while that helps with efficiency, experts also claim that a full 90% or more of resumes submitted online are never seen by human eyes. Make sure your application entries and/or resume contain the keywords that the job posting uses to avoid the ATS “black hole”…that situation where you never hear from anyone about any of the jobs for which you’ve applied.
-Developing a cyber-friendly resume. Since the majority of job openings are now online and most job-seekers are applying for them online, it only makes sense that the job-seeker’s resume should support those endeavors. You may have already drafted a functional or chronological resume, but if you’re looking for one that’s cyber-friendly, you should create more of a hybrid of the two. That resume should have five sections: contact information, summary, skills, experience, and education.
-Social media management. Check your online presence and clean up your social profiles, if you can. Some ATS systems and recruiting tools compile applicants’ social media profiles at the time of application. Plenty of recruiters go digging on social platforms, for both the good and the bad. “The Good” might include engagement in local and national groups and organizations; “The Bad” might be references to drugs, pictures of alcohol consumption, or political rants. Finally, don’t forget about LinkedIn…it’s a social platform, too, and surveys indicate that 98% of recruiters use it to help vet their candidates.
In a post this brief, it’s really hard to convey just how important it is for job-seekers to accept – again, I really mean embrace – the online application “system” in order to use it to their advantage. Since we’re all life-long learners anyway, my advice is to connect with experts out there (like Frank, or his counterparts in your neck of the woods), get up to speed on the topic and then some, and become THE subject-matter expert on the position you’re applying for and why you’re the best person to fill it. Best of luck!
Do you have any experiences you’d like to share about your job search or military-to-civilian transition? Anything that might benefit others in our military community, facing the same challenges? If so, tell us your story and email Kris@militaryconnection.com!
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