Resume Services

Many job seekers spend countless hours writing, polishing and blasting their resumes to dozens of companies. Then they wait, and wait, and never hear a thing.

That’s because human resources people and hiring managers receive heaps of resumes for any given job opening, and they end up missing, skipping or tossing a lot of them. However, it turns out there are things you can do to help ensure your resume is seen.

“I think resumes end up in the resume black hole if the person just responds to a posting or ad and does nothing else,” says Greg Berry, Direct Hire Account Manager and Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) at Labtopia Staffing. “Today companies are receiving hundreds of resumes for each position and, due to the volume, are not acknowledging receipt of them. Most large and medium-size companies are using applicant tracking systems to screen resumes before a person looks at them. Smaller organizations many just review the ones they receive until they find enough qualified candidates and then set the other resumes aside.”

Labtopia Recruiters, also suggests that candidates use the job posting to their advantage. Utilize some of the same words and phrases that appear in the job posting in your resume, if you do indeed possess those skill sets. Any queries run by an HR Manager or Director will recognize these key phrases and skills you possess, and this will move your candidacy to the top of their radar or attention.  But don’t just cut and paste the job posting into your resume or cover letter, particularly if you do not have those skills. If the computer doesn’t catch it, the hiring manager definitely will, and it could hurt your chances of moving forward with an interview.

At Labtopia Staffing, we offer additional tips to avoid the resume black hole:

1. Keep it simple – avoid graphics and logos and other things that may “clog” how an applicant tracking system reads your resume. Resumes call for short, crisp statements. These statements do not necessarily have to be complete sentences; you can frequently leave out the articles a, an, and the.
2. Have someone proofread your resume – sometimes it can be something as small as a typo that may turn off an employer and land you in the black hole, Berry says. “Before sending your resume, have at least one person you trust review it so that it can have a better chance of catching the eyes of the employer.”
3. Research the company – “many of the science and engineering jobs include specific insights needed to successfully navigate through the resume and interview process,” says Sharboneau. “Thorough research can help you properly prepare, therefore avoiding being placed in the resume black hole by researching through LinkedIn, Facebook, Company Websites and Press Releases, all available on the Internet.”
4. Include all of your skills on your resume, such as software programs you may have a moderate to expert user level. Many candidates get overlooked because they don’t take time to think through all of the skills they possess, and list them accordingly.