Workplace Challenges
Pushing past the electronic gatekeeperMore and more employers are turning to online prescreening tools to weed out ho-hum job candidates, from those worthy of an interview. And who could blame them? These electronic gatekeepers are saving companies millions of dollars and countless hours of their staff's time. SELENA DEHNE -- JIST Publishing |
|
 [ 2007-08-27 ] |
Consider companies such as Citigroup and Neiman Marcus. Using an applicant tracking system, Citigroup is able to process the 25,000-plus resumes it receives weekly, leading to the hiring of 500 people each week. Neiman Marcus incorporated web-based assessment tools in its hiring process, resulting in a substantial drop in average turnover of new hires and a considerable increase in average new-hire sales per hour.
Some job seekers, however, don't share excitement with employers when it comes to these electronic gatekeepers. Because of their ability to store and sift through data quickly and efficiently, job seekers can't afford to botch their first application.
In fact, after applying, a job seeker will often have to wait several months before reapplying. They can also expect to be asked any number of questions designed to eliminate them an employer's consideration. Questions about a person's salary requirements, how many work days he or she has missed in the last 12 months, and whether or not the job seeker has ever been convicted of a crime, are all fair game in the application process -- and just one wrong answer could quickly be the barrier between landing an interview and not.
To prevent this, all job seekers need is a strong resume and a few insider tips to give them the upper hand, according to Susan Britton Whitcomb, author of Job Search Magic (JIST c 2006).
"Results of the assessments are typically evaluated with your resume. If you appear to be a good match, you'll likely be considered for an interview," Whitcomb says. Her tips for preparing for online prescreening tools include-:
TIPS
1. Know your basic requirements with respect to salary range and availability for relocation ahead of time.
2. Have a printed version of your resume nearby. This is to help jog your memory about details, such as the number of years of experience you have in certain skill areas. This way, you'll be sure that your information is consistent.
3. Answer as many questions as possible. Too many blanks look suspicious.
4. In general, offer as broad an answer as possible without lying. For example, Home Depot's extensive online screening tool asks about knowledge of different home-improvement areas, from paint to plumbing. If the extent of your knowledge in these areas extends to painting a room in your house or running a snake through a drain, you may be able to make a case for truthfully having knowledge of these areas.
5. Use discretion. Some screening tools require you to indicate a level of knowledge, such as minimal, general or advanced. Employers understand that it will be tempting to exaggerate your knowledge level. However, don't over inflate your skills. You'll likely be asked for more details in the interview and won't want to compromise your candidacy by coming up short in the interview.
6. Buy time. If you encounter online screening questions that you'd like to give more thought to, sit down and take some time to think about intelligent answers to the questions being asked. Then go back to the website and complete the online screening process.
7. Don't lie about information.
8. Want to do a second take? If you didn't provide the best answers the first time, there may be hope. Some people have had success using their maiden names. This revised, but still truthful response can give you a second chance to make a good impression. If you've already given a Social Security number there is little you can do, however. Systems allow for only one entry per Social Security number.
9. Be discriminating when facing requests for your Social Security number. It might be safe to provide it at a larger, well-established company that have thorough security for data. Secure websites will read https://www.websitename.com instead of http://www.websitename.com.
10. Print pages as you go. This way, you can have a copy of the information you submitted.
- Excerpt from Job Search Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb.
Do you have you a bad boss?