Job Hunting Tips

Connecting with recruiters on Social Media is not an application

Fri, January 8, 2010 1 Comment by ACCUR

If you have already connected with us on Social Media such as Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter for the purpose of looking for a job, it is a great way to stay updated with our job opportunities, job hunting tips and employment market news.

But you have to keep in mind that this won’t make us call you for a job unless you have also sent us your resume or applied to one of our jobs on our Job Board. I see many people connecting with me on these social media tools or social networks asking me to keep them in mind when a good opportunity arise matching their previous experiences and professional skills.

With all the good will in the world, it is not possible to keep everyone in mind, this is why recruitment firms use ATS (Applicants Tracking System) to sort, search and select the best candidates for each job. If you are not is our Applicant Tracking System, you are loosing a lot of chances to be contacted.

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Always attach your resume when contacting recruiters for the 1st time

Fri, January 8, 2010 No Comments by ACCUR

People are sometimes embarrassed or find it too aggressive to contact Executive Recruiters or any employment agencies with an email including their resume. They sometimes think is it more appropriate or polite to ask for the permission to submit it later on. The truth is that there is a chance your initial email will not be considered and you will then never get this permission.

Executive Search firms and recruitment agencies work all the same. They are contacted by so many people that you, as a candidate, need to be very clear and striking upfront. It is right that we want to make sure you can be polite, but it is not enough!!!  We need to know right away what are your skills and previous experiences and obviously it is always a plus (or an obligation) to be polite.

ALWAYS attach your resume when contacting a recruiter for the first time!

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Boring resumes are the best!

Thu, December 24, 2009 No Comments by ACCUR

Jeff Schwartzman wrote a very good article that gives many tips on how to write a good resume and optimize it.

The idea is that the form has to be standard and perfect for our Applicant Tracking System to analyze properly and our eye to read it easily… Forget about graphic design and colors. Keep it simple and crystal clear.

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Resume Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Thu, December 24, 2009 1 Comment by ACCUR

A few important Resume Writing Tips:

Are you sure your resume will be found and read ?

Like many other recruiters, whether in-house or from third-party employment agencies, at ACCUR Recruiting Services we search resumes most of the time through a “Search Engine” (our internal Resume Management System (Also called Applicant Tracking System ATS), CareerBuilder, Monster, Linkedin…)

Have you ever heard of Search Engine Optimization for websites ?  (Meaning: making sure you website appears on top in Google (and others…) when someone types specific keywords)

For resumes it works the same way, but it is much simpler and everyone is able to do it !!

Search Engine Optimization for a resume doesn’t make it a good one no matter what, but at least makes sure it will be found when a recruiter searches for someone like you. There are not too many options for us when we use a resume database and the type of keywords we enter are always the following:

  • Industry description
  • Type of products or services
  • Group / Company / Brand names
  • Titles
  • Territories (mostly for sales)

The conclusion is that you always should write 1 or 2 lines after each company you worked for explaining the industry and the type of product and service sold. You can also mention the industries you want to work with in the “Objective” section of your resume. Don’t hesitate to indicate the clients and suppliers you had, or their industry description, as they will act as additional keywords.

More keywords = More calls from recruiters !!

If you have more tips on how you write your own resume, don’t hesitate to share them below in the comments.

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