Getting an interview

Standing out to a recruiter who reviews hundreds of résumés a day is difficult. For applicants who are recent graduates or still in school and have little or no experience, such a task may seem insurmountable when you consider experienced IT engineers have similar challenges.


Résumé tips are widely available from people whose business is getting candidates hired. These are a few good starting points you should review:

• Monster.com 'Six Tips to Get the Interview'
• CareerBuilder.com '10 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Interviews'
• Lifehacker.com 'Why You Didn't Get the Interview'

Now for my tips:

'It's who you know'
This is a very true statement. IT positions come with a lot of privileged access. Hiring managers need to place a lot of trust in the people they hire and having someone they know recommend you is a very good chance your résumé is reviewed.

If you are called for an interview, do not expect the recommendation as a guarantee for being hired. You will still need to fight for your position. I remember my first corporate interview where a relative had recommended me. The recommendation got me in front of the Director of IT whose first words to me were, "I don't care who you know. I've told VPs I'm not interested in their recommendation. So that being said, why should I hire you?". This is the point where you become the salesman. Be prepared for this type of question by knowing how your skills fit into what the hiring manager is looking for.

Build up your network. IT is a small world and you will find that nearly all your job interviews and offers will be the result of from someones recommendation. A candidate search triggers managers to ask people they trust 'do you know anyone good?'

The résumé:
In most environments, HR does the initial screening of résumés looking for key terms the hiring manager provided as essential skills. HR will also screen for experience level to match the position as well as the common red flags [gaps in work history, too much job hopping, minimum education level, etc]. Many IT résumés include a big list of every buzz word under categories like 'software', 'hardware', 'protocols'.

• Be careful not to overdo the buzz list
•  If you have a lot of experience, do not list the buzz words first. Let your experience do the talking. 
• Do not list something you don't know. A quick way to remove yourself from the candidate list is to misrepresent yourself and not be able to answer a question in the interview.
• Format
• MS Office has a lot of templates available. Pick one that stands out, is easy to read but isn't too 'loud'
• Don't trust spell check. Be sure to read your résumé aloud to find all the grammar mistakes.
• If you have certifications, you can include the logos for some pop. Be careful not to violate any logo restrictions or have them overpower the other content.
• Customization
• Investigate what the company is looking for and tailor your résumé to emphasize those skills you have that match the position.
• Look online for other positions open at the company to learn more about what solutions they use.
• For example: if you are applying for a desktop support position and you see the company is also looking for an Exchange Administrator; you can bet they will be interested in someone who can install Windows on a laptop but also setup an Outlook profile to connect to Exchange.
• Certifications
• If the job posting mentions a certification you have is required or preferred, be sure your résumé gives the same importance.
• Certifications will be covered in more detail in another post as they are very important within the IT field.

Persistence:
Don't give up. Fight tooth & nail. Hiring managers appreciate someone who is genuinely interested and committed without crossing the line of annoyance. Your first job will be the hardest to get but as you prove yourself and build up your accomplishments it becomes much easier provided you never burn your bridges.