|
Getting
Past the Screener and Into the Interview I
had an interesting conversation a while back with a hiring manager who
made a comment about the surprising number of resumes she gets from
people seemingly overqualified or from unrelated industries.
Most of the resumes she tosses aside with disinterest.
I
share her comments in case you fit the profile of candidate she mentioned. If so, there are steps to take to make certain
your resume is seriously considered when applying for position outside
your industry or for which you are overqualified.
1. Address the issue in your cover letter.
State clearly your interest in changing industries. Express your
knowledge of the industry and its challenges.
Point out how your background experiences make you a great candidate. If you are seemingly overqualified, demonstrate your value: better
perspective, more patient, and extensive industry knowledge.
2. If transitioning to a new industry, focus
your resume on your transferable skills rather than routine responsibilities.
Back up your transferable skills with illustrative accomplishments.
Translate industry-specific jargon into general terminology. Give less “white space” to company names if they are commonly
connected with your industry. White
space is just what it sounds like: white area around words. Words or phrases surrounded by white space
stand out and attract the eye.
3. If over qualified, downplay your managerial
responsibilities and highlight your hands-on activities and contributions.
Give less “white space” to your
job title. Don’t quantify information
such as number of employees managed, amount of budget overseen, etc.
Many
job seekers feel that if they can just get the interview they can sell
the interviewer on their qualifications.
That may be so, but without a convincing cover letter and resume,
the interview won’t happen. If
you feel you’re being screened out unjustly, try these suggestions and
see if you don’t get better results.
If you’re unsure how to implement these suggestions, feel free
to call me with a request for a free resume critique at 888-828-0814.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deborah Walker,
CCMC Resume Writer ~
Career Coach www.AlphaAdvantage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
