Why The Real Search Criteria Aren't In Job Descriptions

So you're wondering why your resume isn't getting through ATSs and human review? Why you're not getting enough interviews when you're qualified?

I've discussed many reasons, but here's one that most job seekers don't realize ... The real search criteria are almost never in the job description.

Most job seekers assume (and most career resources teach), that all you need to do to get interviews is to include key words from the job description into your resume, ATSs will put you on a short list, recruiters will recommend you for interviews, and the hiring manager has to be able to see how qualified you are.

The Problem:

But what if the job description that's published in ads and company websites doesn't include the real search criteria?

Well guess what ... they don't. They used to many years ago, but for at least the last 10 years, job descriptions are written for a very different purpose. Today, job descriptions are written by HR and Legal to provide the employer protection against risk of HR/hiring lawsuits and government regulators.

Today, job descriptions are generic, and cover similar classifications of jobs, for different hiring managers, departments, divisions, products, subsidiaries, business units, each with different needs and criteria ... and those individual needs and criteria aren't in the job description. This includes jobs from entry level up to VP.

The employer collects a big pool of candidates from these generic, general job descriptions, but use very different criteria to choose who they will interview. Hiring managers realize their own criteria aren't in the generic job description and they give their own unique search criteria to recruiters ... so the search criteria doesn't reflect the requirements in job ads.

The Effect:

It also means that JobScan and AI are not the miracle tools you think they are ... because they produce keywords from a generic job description that doesn't match the hiring manager's actual needs. They'll produce key words ... just not the right keywords to match criteria chosen by the hiring manager.

This leaves candidates "flying blind", in how to customize their resume, how to get through ATSs, how to get recommended by recruiters, and how to impress hiring managers with their resume. It's one of the many things that make the hiring process seem broken to candidates (probably because it is).

The Solution:

Good news there are solutions to this problem, that will help you match the real criteria, get through ATSs and get more interviews. Even better news, is that I'll show you what to do in my next free webinar, this Saturday morning.

I help people solve the most difficult job search problems, including job search acceleration, getting past ATSs, ageism, remote positions, product/job function/career/industry/ geographic change, unemployment, "bouncy" recent career path, job search turnaround, seeking raise/promotion, industry in decline/consolidation, long term gaps, family leave, or other of the most challenging job search issues.

Join me for my next free Resume Webinar (enroll at https://x.resumewebinar.com/register for no charge) and learn how to accelerate your job search, so you can find your next job faster in 2023.

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