The Resume Black Hole – Part 2

I posted about the Resume Black Hole a few weeks ago – but I found another article that I had saved on this topic – so I thought I would revisit it.

Candidates always tell me that they often feel when they apply on-line that their submissions get lost in the Resume Black Hole.

Well – this article from the Wall Street Journal by Lauren Webber will do little to alleviate their fears.

The article is from 2012 – but based on comments I have received from candidates recently – the figures quoted in the article appear to still be pretty accurate.
You can read the article here.

Lauren writes:

Résumé overload isn’t just a big-company problem. Job seekers often are surprised when they don’t hear back from small businesses. These businesses rarely hire enough people to make an applicant-tracking system cost-effective, but even a one-time posting on a well-trafficked job board like Monster.com can garner hundreds of responses.
 
Only 19% of hiring managers at small companies look at a majority of the résumés they receive, and 47% say they review just a few, according to a recent survey by Information Strategies Inc., publisher of Your HR Digest, an online newsletter.

These are pretty daunting statistics for job seekers….

Bottom line – Networking – whether using your own contacts or the contacts of a 3rd Party (e.g. a Recruiter) remains by far the most effective way to get an interview.

Where The Jobs Are

Interesting post on Lifehacker regarding the Best Cities, States and Countries for New Jobs in the Next Quarter according to the Consulting Firm ManpowerGroup.
You can see the article here.

According to the post – the top cities and metro areas (also listed are the percentage of employers that are hiring in that area) include:

Cape Coral, Florida: 32%
McAllen, Texas: 29%
Deltona, Florida: 26%
Grand Rapids, Michigan: 26%
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 24%
Oxnard, California: 24%

Lifehacker also provides a link where you can read the full report.

So if you’re looking for employment – and are willing to relocate – the above areas might be good places to begin your search.