Advice from Massachusetts Employers by Mass DoWD
Making the First Cut
Screening usually takes place in the Human Resource Department or the Personnel Department of the company.Employers use similar strategies during the first round of screening. Your resume is scanned for 9 to 30 seconds. During this process, the qualifications listed on your resume are compared with the qualifications listed in the job announcement. Specifically, the company is looking at how well your qualifications match the qualifications listed for the job. The company also looks at your employment record which should include the dates and previous positions. Some employers also review cover letters at this point.
Resumes that pass this initial screening are then sent to the appropriate department head for further review. Sometimes applicants are called for a telephone interview before the resumes are sent for departmental review. Primarily, the phone call is made to check salary re-quirements and to answer any questions not explained in the resume.
Employer Viewpoint. . .”In the health care industry, we have to be especially rigid about the qualifications requested in the want ad. If the ad says five years experience required, or if a license is needed, we can’t make exceptions. I usually look at employment dates and education first.”
Nancy Jolicoeur, Director of Human Services, Milford Regional Hospital
Mail Your Resume Early
Mail your resume as soon as you see or hear about an opening. Usually, human resource managers are under pressure to make recommendations for interviews. Since employers receive huge volumes of resumes after posting the opening, they are more likely to choose the best ten in the first batch of a hundred rather than wait two weeks to choose the best ten from the last hundred.
Should You By-Pass Human Resources?
Recent statistics show that most job seekers find employment through their personal contacts. If you have a personal contact in an organization, definitely use him or her! But also send your resume to the head of the human resource department!! Many human resource managers complained about job seekers who by-passed their department. Additionally, human resource managers may know of other opportunities in the company.
Networking Tips and Facts
Some companies get approximately 50% of their hires through referrals from within the company. Many companies prefer to interview applicants who have been referred to them from inside the company, so they encourage employees to make recommendations. They will compensate employees who make referrals that result in a hire. Internal recruiting is much less expensive than advertising. Additionally, employees generally will only refer people who will reflect positively on them; therefore, the quality of the candidate is enhanced through internal recruitment. The applicant also has an advantage of making a good presentation because he or she has had the opportunity to learn details about the company through personal contact.
Knocking on the Right Doors
Networking Pyramid
A
Contact
is anyone
who is able to:
*Offer you a job.
*Tell you of a job opening.
*Refer you to somebody who can
arrange an interview or read your resume.
*Give you the name of somebody who can do any of the above.
*Give you the name of somebody who can give you thename of someone else who can do any of the above.
If you are interested in learning more about how to create or expand your job search network, attend a networking workshop at your One-Stop Career Center.