Hundreds of jobs applied to with no call-backs. Why aren’t people calling?

Posted by Jason Alexander (Alexander Technology Group)

Do I send a cover letter for every job I apply to? Do people read cover letters? How do I write my resume so I can compete with other job seekers? I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs and nobody has called for an interview; what am I doing wrong?

Down markets force job seekers to be innovative and quality-oriented in order to be successful. With that said, many (if not most) candidates are going about the process in a slightly backwards fashion. It is common practice, in the eyes of many job seekers, to send a stock resume with a custom cover letter illustrating why they are the perfect fit. In most cases the cover letter doesn’t make it to the hiring manager’s desk and, often times, the resume is discarded if the right key-words aren’t found in the top half of the first page.

Now, onto the important question… What is working in today’s economy? I challenge individuals to target a smaller group of positions that would utilize their specialty skills (as opposed to their general skills). In a down economy, there are plenty of generalists to go around so job seekers need to focus on best positioning and advertising their strengths. The #1 way to make sure this is clear to the hiring management of a prospective company is to be sure to tailor your resume for EVERY job you apply to. Without embellishing, be sure that your resume summary looks much like the job description you are applying to. A stock or template resume rarely paints an accurate picture in terms of how you relate to the specific job you are applying to.

This post was mainly intended to boost awareness of the fact that quality sells in the job application world. Too many people are mass-applying to positions on Monster with the same resume (for each role) and receiving no calls. Although it is difficult to maintain the discipline, people that take the time to customize every resume and cover letter they send tend to see better results. Also, as a teaser for later posts, don’t forget the importance of networking. Good luck!