Hiring Advice from the Source: HR Forum 2013 Report

Every year I attend the Resume Writer's Council of Arizona's Annual Human Resources Forum. This is a rare opportunity where we get to sit in a room with several HR managers and recruiters and pick their brain about the hiring process. It is always enlightening and I want to share with you what I learned.

Our panel of experts had a combined 66 years of hiring and recruiting experience! They have worked in health care, big box retail, education and state government. They see tens of thousands of resumes every year - in fact, our state government hiring manager said they received 14,000 resumes a month - and hire thousands of employees every year. They were all very passionate about what they do and had some definite opinions as to what works and what does not. Here are some highlights:

• The importance of networking is greater than ever. Two of the panelists said that they highly valued employee referrals and that those candidates went to "the top of the stack" whether their resume showed they were a match or not.

• Additionally, they mentioned that if your resume does not show you are a match - in other words you don't have the necessary key words - then networking is more important than ever. If you are not able to show on paper that you are a fit, they suggested being willing to "fight" for your opportunity with networking, follow up, and initiative.

• However, the recruiters cautioned candidates to carefully navigate the fine line between follow-up and initiative and being an annoyance.

• The recruiters placed a great deal of emphasis on LinkedIn. They said they welcome candidate connections on LinkedIn and do not mind when a candidate reaches out to them via LinkedIn. They stressed the importance of a quick, concise, and targeted LI profile as well as the importance of a professional photograph.

• The HR professionals cautioned candidates to be aware that they can see every job you have applied for in their organization. They will discount the candidate who seems to be throwing their resume "against a wall to see what sticks." They are not looking for a desperate candidate willing to take anything. Instead they want someone who is focused and has a clear idea of how they can benefit the organization.

Updated Job Search Strategy - Directly from Recruiters and Sourcers

Last week, I spent three days in San Diego at the Career Director's International annual conference. I learned so much about the resume writing, career coaching and career development industry. However, there was one session I thought you might be particularly interested to hear recapped. For an hour, we were able to ask four recruiters and human resources professionals questions about their thoughts, preferences, and recommendations for job seekers. Here are some highlights.

• Although all the recruiters said their company uses some kind of electronic database, also known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), they also cautioned that the systems are not the same. Therefore, they recommend to keep your resume uncomplicated without lots of text boxes and columns so it can be seen properly in any system. 
• The recruiters cautioned job seekers about losing the "human element" of the resume by focusing too hard on making the ATS happy.
• All the hiring professionals said they still do a 15-second scan of the resume. The first impression is still very important when capturing their attention.
• Following up is highly recommended. One recruiter went so far as to suggest connecting with them on LinkedIn and sending a personalized message as a follow-up after submitting your resume online. One of the recruiters cautioned that there is a big difference between follow-up and stalking!
• Every recruiter agreed that the resume is not dead, dying, or even in critical condition. None of them foresee an immediate future with no resumes. 
• Each of these HR professionals mentioned their use of LinkedIn. They are using it to find and connect with potential candidates and research candidates before an interview. They strongly suggested having a PROFESSIONAL photo on LinkedIn to go with your profile.

There you have it, important information straight from the professionals that are screening resumes, interviewing candidates and making hiring decisions. All these are solid pieces of advice that can jump-start your job search.