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Tale of Two Candidates In days gone by, a candidate took the time to write a minimum 3 paragraph cover letter to compliment their resume and, if they were really on the mark, printed it on ivory colored linen resume paper and sent it in a matching envelope. What happened? The internet is what happened. Now candidates can apply for 5+ opportunities in the time it took yesteryear to compose a cover letter and target his or her resume towards one specific ad. I am not encouraging candidates to buy up large quantities of stamps and resume paper. However, I do believe offering more information in the submittal process and targeting your resume to the opportunity you are seeking will pay dividends in ensuring your resume is in the “Talk To” vs. the “No Thank You” stack. Candidate A: Does not compose any introductory text in the submittal. They have 3 of the 5 required skills but only 2 are prominent in the first two pages of the resume. The third skill is mentioned in the technology section on the last page. Candidate B: Composes a concise e-mail and states he has experience in the 3 technologies and lists his recent experience utilizing those 3 skills. He mentions he does not have the balance of the skills but has utilized similar technologies which may allow the quick assimilation of the skills he is lacking. As a Recruiter, I am already fully engaged in Candidate B as he has hooked my interest to read the resume and validate his email response. Although neither has all 5 skills in the IT area, most candidates never truly hit all the bells and whistles we truly hope for. I know more about candidate B and know he has taken the time to fully read the ad, responded with a concise answer to the skills I am seeking and acknowledges he has deficiencies, but points out he may have similar skills in adjacent technologies. As a recruiter I am always thinking “prove it” when I see the laundry list of skills. Where, how long, and to what depth are the questions running through my mind as I read through the candidate’s resume. The best advice I can give is even if you have all the skills somewhere in your resume, don’t assume that the person reading it will read it all the way and be able to identify that you are a keeper. One cannot be sure of the technical comprehension skills of the individual who is the first screener. A brief introduction on why you are a good candidate will ensure that your resume gets the attention it warrants. For more information, please visit http://www.qat.com/careers.asp. |
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