Are You Connecting with Companies?

By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP

One of my clients insisted that he knew the way around job descriptions. As in, he thought he could look beyond the words, or between the lines, and conclude the true meaning of what the company was asking for, and then … kapow! ... he could wow them with his resume and smarts.

Except he wasn’t landing interviews at all.

For one job posting, before applying, he decided to do some research, which is highly commendable. He found an article written by a department manager about the company’s hiring processes.

Then we talked.

CLIENT: She wrote the article about the company’s hiring, so she’s obviously involved.

ME: You’re assuming that she’s part of the hiring process for this position. What if she isn’t?

CLIENT: She must have a say.

ME: How do you know that?

CLIENT: That’s how my business works.

This client was doing what I call editorializing – forming an opinion about the words and information in the job posting as to what the hiring team wants. He assumed that because he knows the industry, and because he has hired people, and because he read an article by someone who works at the company, that he could predict what they want from him. And that’s what he was giving them.

For example, we came across the required skill “data management.” He wanted to add “data projects.” Because “that’s what they really mean” according to his take on the research, his knowledge of the company, and his background. So then we had this conversation:

ME: But they don’t say data projects anywhere in the job description. They call it data management.

CLIENT: But they mean data projects. When I worked with data we always called it data projects.

ME: But this is not your company.

CLIENT: Yes, but I know how the business works.

So we always came back to the same theme. He continued to adjust the skills to his own preferences based on his experience, and he continued to get rejections from applications and wondered why. “But I know the business” was always his rationale with every application.

He didn’t realize that when the hiring person searches for a keyword or skill, they use words that are consistent with their company culture. The job description gives you this information. In fact, the job description gives you the keys to the castle, all you have to do is use it.

You can know your business inside and out. You can be an expert. But your opinion about the company and the job description doesn’t matter. If you don’t address the company’s specific needs and put the skills they need in your resume, you’re going to experience a longer, more frustrating job search.

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Better job. More pay. More control.

For a resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!