Why You Aren’t Getting Interviews

This first step of the hiring process can be a difficult and frustrating one. Many times a candidate will tell me they came across a perfect job, submitted a resume and cover letter and never heard from anyone. This unfortunate series of events happens to almost everyone at some point in their job search.

If you find this happening to you repeatedly it could be for a variety of reasons, some of which are listed below. Appropriate changes to your process could illicit different and more positive results.

1. You’re Not Being Realistic
You may not be as qualified as you think. Recruiters and hiring managers have specific criteria they are looking for from candidates. Just because you have held a position with the same job title does not mean you are necessarily qualified for this particular position. There are many factors considered in the selection of a candidate including length of experience as well as the size and scope of the roles you’ve held. All positions are not created equal.

2. You Have Too Limited of a Focus for Your Search
Large companies and industry leaders are great to work for. That being said, it needs to be understood that there is a tremendous amount of competition for their jobs. I am not suggesting you don’t include there types of organizations in your search, however, try not to limit yourself to only the big players. Most of the businesses in our country are small to mid-size and they have difficulty finding good candidates.

One more tip: If you have submitted your resume on-line to a company once, they have you in their system. Don’t keep applying for different jobs on the company website, and certainly don’t reapply for the same job more than once. If they are interested in you they will contact you.

3. Your Cover Letter and Resume Don’t Set You Apart
Make sure your cover letter is specific to the job you are applying for. Avoid a cookie cutter approach. Reference specific qualities and talents you have and how they fit this particular job. Let the reader know how you can benefit them.

Customize your resume to highlight your experience and your achievements which match the job you are applying for. You may need to have more than one resume. In today’s marketplace, if your resume doesn't highlight your measurable achievements, you will get very little traction.

Lastly, proofread, proofread and then proofread again.

4. Your Approach is Unmotivated or Lazy
Follow directions to the letter. Companies are very particular about how you submit resumes and fill out applications. If you cut corners, you will dramatically reduce your chances for consideration.

5. You aren’t using the Correct Keywords
The words you use in your objective statement need to be both relevant and current. Companies and sites like Monster.Com use software that scans your resume for keywords to help determine which candidates to contact. Even hiring authorities and recruiters who review your resume will be searching for keywords relevant to the job and the candidate they seek. Make sure your resume contains the words which are pertinent to your experience and skills.

6. You haven't used Your Network to Help You
One of the best ways to set yourself apart from other candidates is to get someone from your professional network to help you identify the correct contact within the company you wish to work for. A common contact between you and someone in the organization greatly increases your chance to be noticed. This also gives you a point of contact to follow up with after you apply. Do not overlook the importance of who you know.

The steps above should dramatically improve your chances of landing an interview – a first, but critical point in the process of landing a job.

Thanks for reading!
David Lammert

Top 5 Career Ending Miscues

We are all human, and humans are prone to error making. Although an error here or there is to be expected, I am often amazed at the amount of avoidable career mistakes people make. Unfortunately it’s usually these mistakes which can have the most dramatic impact on your life and career. Our careers are like a sporting event; those who make the fewest mistakes usually win the game. Talent alone is not enough to ensure the “W”.

Here are some of the top career mistakes that can and should be avoided:

1) Get Real

In today’s world - everyone is expendable. Take your ego and pride out of the assessment and look at your overall performance and contribution. If others at your level are succeeding and you are not, find ways to improve. Do not spend time moping about or complaining about what you need in order to complete your tasks and do better overall at the job.

If your approach isn't working change what you are doing. Ask peers around you for an honest assessment of how you could improve.

Simply put: Find a way to make it happen.

2) Don’t simply show up

Ask yourself: Why do organized sports teams practice? They want to optimize their performance during game time. They want to make sure that they are prepared to cover contingencies.

The same principles apply to the workplace. You should be at the top of your game; know the details of your work assignments and make sure you understand your P and L statement and the needs of your sales accounts. Keep current, don't miss deadlines and be proactive.

3) Take responsibility for you actions (or lack of)

Sometimes the mistake is not what you did, but what you didn't do. While you can't control everything, admit miscues within reason, mitigate the damage and share problems as they occur. Come up with solutions to go with the issues that arise. Use what you learn from the experience to insure that mistakes are not repeated.

4) Make yourself valuable

As I said earlier, everyone is expendable. However it is possible to provide more value to your organization than others and see benefits from doing so.

First, concentrate on your direct responsibility. If you are meeting all of your objectives, go to your boss and offer to take on additional assignments.

5) Identify your skills and improve them.

We work in the world of “what have you done for me lately”. Yesterday's achievements have to be duplicated and improved upon in order to succeed.

Take advantage of the resources at your fingertips to improve your knowledge, your skill set and your learning ability. In addition to having technical skills you must have some political savvy and ability to influence others in order to maintain and improve your career path.


Avoiding these errors will go along way toward ensuring a stable career.

Empower yourself to succeed!
David Lammert

Employers Need to Brace for Change

Last week The Conference Board released its most recent survey (www.conference-board.org) regarding U.S. employee satisfaction levels. The results are alarming. At a time when you might think that most people would be happy just to have a job, a clear majority (54%) are unhappy with their current job. If this wasn't disturbing enough, two more statistics add to the alarming news. The first, dissatisfaction is not isolated to one age group or income level but can be found across a variety of age groups and income levels. Secondly, nearly 25% of those polled expect to be in a different job next year.

Employers need to act simultaneously and rapidly in two key areas. First, employers need to improve the work place experience beginning with the onboarding or orientation process. From the very first day on the job, the overall impression an employer gives, as well as the tools and information provided to an employee can help determine the overall experience a new employee will have. Onboarding programs are not only vital to the efficiency with which employees will perform, they also improve retention rates.

Secondly, employers must be proactive with their hiring process in case the statistics above prove true. With an improving economy and increasing confidence, employees may begin to switch jobs before you are ready for them to. You don’t want your company stuck picking from the players nobody else wanted. Identify your organizations needs now and start brining those people on to your team now.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

David Lammert

Be your own best friend, not your own worst enemy

It's safe to say that everyone looks for a fresh start around New Year’s. It’s a time to take the lessons learned from a challenging 2009 and move forward with a renewed mental vigor. It’s a time to show our resilience and use our individual gifts to make valuable contributions for the world around us.

It’s a time to reflect and whether you are an employer, a candidate (or both!) you should take a moment to look back at 2009 before moving ahead in 2010.

Employers - it's important to realize that while we have a high level of unemployment, top notch talent is still hard to find. Even in today’s market, it’s as difficult as ever to find those employees who turn out to be gems. Don't fall prey to the idea that it is a buyer’s market when hiring. Yes, you will have more overall candidates to choose from, but many may fall short of the "A" player level you expect.

Candidates, in the current economic climate many employers have the mindset that top level talent is easily had when they are ready to hire. Because the bar is set higher than usual in the employers mind, you had better be prepared to exceed these incredibly high expectations at every phase of the hiring process. From properly formatted, error free resumes to applications filled out neatly and completely along with finely tuned interviews skills. These are just the very basics. Much more goes into what can make or break you as a candidate.

I look forward to working with you all in 2010 and to continue providing organizations the top level candidates they need in order to achieve and surpass their business goals.