Why do resumes disappear without a trace? 4 Key Tips to Increase Resume Response Rates

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I often hear friends complain: I’ve sent out over a dozen resumes, but why is there still no response? I also often hear HR complain: they receive countless resumes, but none of them are good? I. Do not submit more than 50 resumes – no need to complain. If you open a job search guide from the year 2000 or similar, it will tell you that the response rate for resumes at that time was around 10%; in other words, for every 10 resumes submitted, you would get one interview opportunity. And this figure has **declined** with the rise of job search websites and the widespread use of the Internet. If you still use an electronic resume today, the response rate is around 2%. This means that, on average, a person looking for a job has to submit 50 resumes before getting an interview opportunity. The recent economic crisis might only make this figure worse… What this figure tells us is that those who haven’t sent out more than 50 resumes shouldn’t complain or feel dissatisfied. Continue to deliver, waiting quietly for the probability to occur. There is another reason: companies purchase recruitment services on a monthly basis. Generally, a match can be found within the first two weeks after it’s posted, so the chance of finding a match in the subsequent two weeks is zero. This also reminds job seekers to refresh frequently – the more recent the dates, the better the chances. II. Reasons why HR might not be able to see your resume 1. Attachment + email: After completing your resume, attach it directly to an email in order to send it to multiple recipients? Slow down, take a look at the following reminders – did you notice them? 1) Use the simplest format of WORD 2003; do not use the format of OFFICE 2007, as it cannot be opened. PDFs are especially annoying; many people don’t know how to open them. I once saw someone send over 200 resumes in PDF format, and the last HR specialist who responded to him kindly said that they didn’t recognize this format! Those who can’t use PDF format are a bit weak, but don’t let others’ weaknesses ruin your own future. 2) Attachment + Email: Display it in the format of attachment + email. This can be seen directly in the opened letter. If you only have attachments, opening your email requires an extra step. Given that the computers used by corporate HR staff are usually quite old and slow to boot up, many people choose to skip it. Some companies’ servers automatically block all attachments, so your emails will never get through. Using only email is also not good, as it’s inconvenient for them to print during the interview. 2. Email subject: Do you have a standard email subject? Below are ratings for the different emails: “John’s resume”, “John applying to your company”, “John’s resume for applying to NEDP”, “John applying to be a career planner at NEDP; thank you for your attention!” “ There are also many silly and naive resume titles, collected below for everyone’s amusement. SOS! It’s innovative, but pretty silly. Give me a chance to create a miracle for your company! Bro, you think this is about bidding for the Olympics! Click me! Typical **website promotion method……speechless. Resume: Who are you? I thought you were the only one applying! Please forward it to your company’s CEO. I usually reply: Please forward it directly to the CEO. 3. Sending and forwarding: Many people send their resumes in bulk, so when an HR professional receives a resume, they often see that it was sent to over 40 companies at once. This bothers the HR professional and makes them feel disrespected – after all, I read each resume individually, while you send them in batches! If there’s also a sentence like this inside, the effect will be even greater: “Your company is one I’ve always wanted to join; your credibility and reputation are the best…” followed by 100 mailing lists. Remember, be sure to send them one by one! III. Reasons why a resume was not selected: Mass applications vs. initial screening. Once a resume finally makes it to the HR professional’s eyes, certainly don’t feel relieved yet. Because next, the resume still needs to go through a “pre-screening” stage; the three-step selection process is roughly as follows. Keyword screening: 15 seconds; Resume-based screening: 30 seconds; Careful selection: 5-10 minutes. Keyword screening: The first selection step is usually carried out through keyword screening. This round is mainly to identify those who meet the hardware requirements. There are not many job opportunities these days, so many job seekers apply to every position they can find, just to give it a try. So the first step for HR is to filter out those who do not meet their requirements. For string 4, for example, the keywords set by HR for themselves are: bachelor’s degree + accounting major + CET-4. So all resumes that do not contain these keywords will be filtered out. Many resumes contain keywords, but they are hidden deep within the text. Even after spending time reviewing such resumes, HR professionals still cannot determine what field of study the applicant is in, what level of English proficiency they have, whether they hold a bachelor’s degree, or which school they attended. Resumes like this are generally discarded right at the first screening stage. If you’ve sent many resumes but received no responses, it might be that your resume lacks the right keywords! Bulk screening: As mentioned earlier, since job seekers adopt a approach of applying to many positions, HR also starts conducting bulk screenings accordingly. Next is the targeted screening; the goal here is to identify those who have a stronger interest in this area. Many people’s resumes do not list a specific job objective, and such resumes are likely to be rejected by large companies. Because large companies usually recruit for 3-4 different positions at the same time. If you don’t have a clear intention to seek employment and don’t specify the position you want to apply for, HR will also be reluctant to help figure out whether you intend to apply for a accounting role or an administrative one. Careful selection: If you make it through the above steps, congratulations – you basically have a chance to proceed to the interview! This step is carried out before the interview. HR will review the resume again before the interview to roughly determine the questions they want to ask and form an impression of you. Total score = Resume score + Impression score. Therefore, a good resume helps you make a good impression before the interview. IV. Better job search strategies: By understanding the process from submitting a resume to being selected, we can find more ways to **increase** your chances of success in finding a job! 1. Accurately filter job information – Defining your job search goals and target companies helps improve accuracy. There’s also the issue of confidence in seeking jobs: It’s disheartening to submit 200 applications and not receive a single interview invitation; in fact, 180 of those applications weren’t even reviewed. Searching on search engines for: position + job listings can help find some recruitment information. Another option is to visit the BBS forums specific to that industry, where you can find many job openings. 2. Adjust your resume according to the requirements of each company; don’t use the same resume for all companies. If you see a job posting from a company that interests you, you can modify your resume accordingly based on the job description on the website, including adding more keywords that highlight your skills and work experience relevant to that position. Note, it’s an adjustment, not random guessing. 3. Other methods are more effective. Although all companies require applications via resume, this is the standard approach. But in fact, there are many more effective ways. Therefore, having a recommendation from a career counselor, undergoing a phone interview, introducing yourself in person, receiving a referral from someone you know, or even having the opportunity to work unpaid will all increase your chances of success! Of course, job interview skills can help one get a better chance to showcase oneself, but it depends on you to maintain that opportunity once you start working!