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The Top 3 Things You Must Do to Get the Job You Want in 2012
By: Roger Lear

I speak to a lot of jobseeker groups each month. I open most of these conversations saying that it isn’t the lack of jobs that is holding you back; it is your job search. Too many jobseekers waste time in the job search doing things that do absolutely nothing to accomplish the goal of getting a great job.

To get a job or a better job it takes some work. It is easy to go to job boards and apply to jobs. This is a great place to start and can give you some very valuable information on who is hiring and what types of jobs are open that meet your background.

The top three things that you should make sure you do are the following when looking for a new job or to upgrade your career:

1. Target your skills to the companies that need those skills. Start with job boards but expand your search to companies that may not be posting jobs at this time. Google lists of companies in your area and go directly to those companies websites career centers and see what they have to offer. No matter what you do, make sure any job that you apply to is a 60%-70% skill match to what you do. DO NOT waste time applying to jobs that do not match up. In higher unemployment, your application will not even be considered.
2. Understand Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): When you apply to a large company today, most have a separate application process that you must go through to submit your application. The number one complaint of job seekers is that they apply to many jobs through these systems and they just feel like they go into a “black hole”. The truth is that you do go into a black hole if your resume and skills sets are not “optimized” for the job you are applying to. In other words, if the resume you submit doesn’t clearly state (via keywords, experience) that you can handle the job, the computer (NOT a person) will not ever let you get out of the black hole. It is that simple and it is the reason your job search should just be concentrated on jobs and companies that need your skills. For entry level type positions, it usually comes down to education, internships and activities to determine who may be a fit.
3. Your resume is still 1998. I love great summary statements on resumes. It is nice to know that you are dedicated, enthusiastic, team player and achiever. However, in today’s job market, this needs to be replaced immediately with just a skill or job title. It all goes back to concentrating your job search on finding jobs that you can actually get. If you are a commercial property underwriter, in bold at the top of the resume the title should be “Commercial Property Underwriter”. The supporting experience should relate to the position you are applying for. If you find yourself really having to change your experience, you are probably are not a match and you are wasting your time.

Hope this helps. It is real information that you need to know; especially in a very poor job market place. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

question: Can I fool an applicant tracking system with keywords so at least I get an interview?

answer: While this seems like a really easy question to answer, it isn't. If you are a job seeker and really want to work for XYZ company, you may think what is the harm of using keywords to get your resume to "score" better. That is why you have to make sure to do the work and only apply to jobs that you can actually do. If you get the interview by fooling the system, you will fail. If you want to get in a company and may not have all the skills, you need to find someone who works there that you can network with to help you. Networking is more powerful than keywords.