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What Can I do to land an Interview?

Veteran

melvin spiller Richmond, TX

I am a transitioning service member and one of my main questions is I have applied to over a dozens of jobs but I still find it hard to an interview much less than an email. I have credential for IT work I even went to college and MOS school for it but employers still have not return any of my message or applications. and I always attach a cover letter and resume to all my applications.I am still active duty so I cannot attend any career fairs but I want the job security before I return back the civilian life. What can I do?

13 April 2015 10 replies Interviews

Answers

Advisor

Jo Prabhu San Rafael, CA

In order to gain attention or attract interest from a potential employer, you need to have a different approach and stand out from the rest.
1. Start with giving yourself an attention-getting title, with a 4 or 5-word catch-phrase that describes you. Such as ‘Senior .Net Developer and IT Guru available for my next assignment’. A blanket ‘Manager’ title will bring up thousands of resumes in a search, but distinguishing yourself will hone down the list, giving you the opportunity to come up and actually be viewed during a search.

2. Next, rewrite your resume. A resume should be a testament to your accomplishments, your actual role and what you can or have contributed in terms of saving money, saving time, solving problems, etc. etc. especially because searches are conducted based upon the criteria they enter-and if your resume does not contain those terms described in a job description, it will not come up in a search.
3. Tailor each resume to every job you apply for. Also be aware that the persons who initially review your resume are not really hiring managers, but recruiters or admin personnel who pull up resumes from conducting an initial search. Expecting call-backs unless you are in the top 80-90% is not realistic as there is just not enough time in the day for anyone to do that.
Here are some tips on how to get attention and be different from all the others.
1. Start with writing an absolutely stunning cover letter highlighting ALL the skills you possess with specific details of your accomplishments, including your personality traits. At the end, say you will submit your resume if the client has any interest. This will give the person an opportunity to say ‘wow, this person is different’ and actually contact you directly.
This gives you a leg up in that you have:
a. Created a charisma around you in that someone on the other end has requested your actual resume.
b. You now have a point of contact or an email within the company which you can use to say thank you, or more importantly, ask directly if they have any interest and if so, what can you expect as the next step.
Be different, be innovative and don’t give up. Half the country is jobless and many of our current jobs are outsourced overseas. Competing has become arduous and daunting, but stay focused.
Good luck in your search. If you need help with an outstanding cover letter, I can help.

Advisor

Michael Viel Paris, IL

Melvin,
Resume building can be tough especially if you are new to it. I have written 20+ successful resumes for myself and have successfully received interviews from them. Cover letters are a great way to highlight yourself and to really boast about your strengths and drive as an employee. Use your cover letter to the fullest and make the employer want to meet you. Your resume should then back up what you have said in the cover letter. Something you MUST do for each position that you apply for is tailoring. Tailor your resume to fit each position. You cannot just make one catch all resume and hope for the best. Research the position that you are applying for and tailor your resume to read what they are looking for. If an employer has a list of qualifications that they are looking for and you want the position then you need to make sure that they are in your resume. It is very important to do this for each position that you are applying. In addition, when writing your cover letter and resume insure that you have them personalized to that specific company that way they know you are serious and are very interested in them. You are so interested in them that you made a resume just for them, not just some generic resume that you spit out to everyone hoping to land a job. Furthermore, use a spelling and grammar check so that you can at least show them you took the time to proof read what you have sent.

I truly hope this helps

Good Luck,

Michael D. Viel

Advisor

Jessica Desrochers Groveland, MA

Hi Melvin,

I wouldn't take it personally, with the way jobs are posted hiring companies often get a lot of resumes and can't (won't) respond to all of them. I would recommend you have someone look over your resume. Perhaps it's not eye-catching enough for those hiring. It could be too vague or generic. You want to stand out, promote yourself without sounding too over the top. Always spell check! If I find a spelling mistake on a resume, I won't interview the person because I'm in marketing and it matters (unless some how this is the best of the best candidate and it was a random mistake. You can tell by the writing and language if it is). The first, most important, thing is to know how to market yourself (your resume) and if there's a spelling mistake it means you didn't pay enough attention to the details--which are critical in my field.

Advisor

Jack Hollis Tucson, AZ

Hello, I would target specific companies that you would like to work for. Investigate those companies as best you can and find out how their hiring process works. I would try to be as specific as possible in identifying companies or types of businesses where I wanted to work. Most companies have IT of some type so options are numerous. I would also try to get some informational interviews with companies or people to learn what employers are looking for. Looking for a job is a job in and of itself.
Even though there are many jobs listed online, I believe your experience is probably the norm.
The best to you.

Jack Hollis

Veteran

melvin spiller Richmond, TX

Thank you everyone for the replies and help.

Advisor

Ron Schaefer Santa Barbara, CA

HI Melvin,
This is a little old school, but I've seen it work: Make sure the cover letter for your application/resume is (a) tailored for the job you are applying for, and (b) is engaging, honest, and tell something about you that a stiff application or resume can't tell - like letting your personality show through in your writing style. Most managers will select for people they intrinsically like over people they don't (the DILT factor: Do I Like Them?), and that can start with the application/resume phase.

It's not a silver bullet, but it just might make a difference in enough situations to get you a couple of interviews.

Best,
Ron

Advisor

Glenn Stanger Kendall Park, NJ

What can I do?

1. You have just interviewed with over 100 people. Always present yourself as if you were interviewing. (spel check)
2. The 12 or more applications with resume that you sent out are presently not replied to by the firms, there could be any of a dozen separate reasons for no response.
3. But you need to chose where you send in applications, track them so that in the future you may up date them as to your availability.
4. Most employers want their hiring managers to hire to fill an immediate position. So submitting an application to a possible employer puts your resume in the pile not out in front. Sometimes we need help getting our paper put in front of hiring managers.
5. If you checked the paper near where you want to work, count the number of IT positions are in the Sunday paper ads. My recollection is that you are up against the biggest crowed for these positions. So you need an edge. Network with friends and get a feel for who is hiring near where you want to work. Have no fear about being up against a crowd of applicants, you will have some advantage over them when you are fully separated, because you will then have a better defined plan in place. Network with any of the firms listed as supporters of this initiative, they are more willing and egger to hire veterans more so than some other firms.
6. If you are not near your home base for were you want to work then you must be checking the largest want ads for the town, this can be done online. I do not know your circumstance but I rarely would tell a person to move too a job just because they got hired there. So I would advise you search near your home first then make the traveling circle bigger as needed. (I presently live fifty miles from two large employment centers, but I used to drive 117 mile one way daily for 11 years because of good work)
7. Good Luck.

Advisor

Keith Fulton South Orange, NJ

First of all, it isn't unusual for this to happen. Online job searches have made it so easy to find job postings and respond to them that everyone does it, and recruiters are often buried in "spam" applications from people that don't really fit. Hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when that happens. So don't get discouraged and don't take it personally.

Kind of like with the LinkedIn idea Matthew wrote, the best way to get beyond that wheat vs chaff problem is to know someone at the company who can walk your resume in and put it at the top of the pile so it gets noticed. You might not think you have a network you can use to do this, but I bet you do. It's all your coworkers and buddies who have already been through it and gotten jobs in different places. Most jobs are found and filled that way (I think I've read 80%?). Furthermore, most of those are filled with 2nd level connections or "friends of friends". You may only have 100 people in your LinkedIn network, but if everyone has that, that's 10,000 people who might know of a job opening you'd be good for and could make the introduction for. Good luck!

Advisor

Bob Maher Dallas, TX

You have to have a plan... a Personal Marketing Plan. What activities can you commit to on a regular basis... what time do you have to spend with preparation, research, and networking to identify and secure the right employment for you?

Applying for jobs prematurely FORCES potential employers to judge you (yes-no-maybe) BEFORE they've had a chance to get to know you. NOT good odds.

Rather, network your way into and around opportunities that are attractive to you.

Semper fi

Advisor

Matthew DeJordy Lowell, MA

Hi Melvin,

Have you completed a LinkedIn profile? That could be extremely helpful.

Also, I'd be happy to review your resume and provide you with some feedback if you'd like. Feel free to send it along.

-Matt

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