What do you look for when employing

[FrustratinglyFrustrated]

So, I'm currently out of work, have been for about 4 months.
I have applied for nearly 100 jobs, all jobs I've applied for are jobs i can do and have experience in, I have received 2 replies. That's it. I don't understand where I am going wrong. I always include a cover note stating why I'm suited for the role, include my CV which states my work experience.
What do employers look for when deciding who to interview/ offer the position to.
If it's relevant, I'm early 40s.

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@FrustratinglyFrustrated

Also, Can I ask, Is it worth contacting the recruiter to see if it's worth me applying? I mean, If the job is perfect apart from, lets say they want 3 years experience but I only have 2, or ideally they want X and Y but I only have Y, is it worth asking if its worth applying?

Apparently, women tend to take the info provided more literally - 'it says they need three years experience, I only have two so I guess it's not for me', where men may be more likely to just take a punt and apply anyway, which can work in their favour. So, in general - provided you're in a position to do so - I'd advocate applying if you have the majority of the things they're after, even if some elements aren't quite there. (Obviously, if the missing element is the core part of the job - like, not having a driving licence when the job is as a delivery driver - then don't apply for those.) In some cases you might also be able to draw upon other relevant things to help make up for your lack of X - maybe you also have Z which involves some comparable skills, for instance.

The difficulty as a manager is, if someone asks me whether they should apply I'm pretty much going to tell them it's up to them to decide if they want to, because I can't know who else is going to apply and what the quality will be like. In some circumstances a candidate with 75% of what I'm looking for and a genuine willingness to work on the rest will do really well; in others we'll find ourselves with such a huge pool of candidates, including some way above the expectations we'd originally asked for, that am application which doesn't tick every box won't get through. I would err on the side of just applying and seeing what happens - but if there's something you need to clarify with them then of course do go ahead.

@Todaywewilldobetter

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OK, Thanks. I'll give it a go

Are you applying via indeed? What format is your CV in?

Is a .docx pdf or the indeed format?

@LAlexander7

Are you applying via indeed? What format is your CV in?

Is a .docx pdf or the indeed format?

Its pdf doc, I'm on Indeed, Total, Monster and Reed, I look on company sites and apply directly via the company site also

But what i am saying is, a message to the hiring manager or recruiter on Linkedin to say: Hi, I've applied for your x role I thought I would be a good fit because of xyz.

Sorry but I think this is horrible advice. I know when someone's applied; I have their application. Which I'll review when I shortlist and if it's good, it'll stand out because if being good. In the meantime I don't really want then leaping out at me while I'm doing other stuff, trying to Make! Their! Mark! I'm happy to talk through genuine questions from applicants but contacting me just for the sake of it isn't going to help their application.

We get a lot of applications. I do a speed sift and get rid of any with obvious spelling and grammar errors. Then I read the cover letter and see if they have understood what the job entails and how they are selling themselves to me. By this time I am usually down to a shortlist of 15-20 out of 60-70+. This will be the final sift list and we will interview a maximum of five. These will be the top scorers on the application form.

Many organisations use a computer programme to review CV’s. Unless your CV gets through that process it won’t be seen by a human. Every CV and covering letter needs to be tailored to the job spec.

@MrsSchadenfreude

We get a lot of applications. I do a speed sift and get rid of any with obvious spelling and grammar errors. Then I read the cover letter and see if they have understood what the job entails and how they are selling themselves to me. By this time I am usually down to a shortlist of 15-20 out of 60-70+. This will be the final sift list and we will interview a maximum of five. These will be the top scorers on the application form.

Do you always hire from the 5 interviewed? I fell in to the admin role at work, so have no qualifications for an admin role, I am so much better at telling people verbally why I am good at something and can't always put it across well on paper. Maybe I shouldn't be applying for admin roles, it was my most previous job and I really enjoyed it, and there is a lot of admin vacancies locally to me.

A lot of companies use applicant tracking systems which filter by keywords, so make sure you use the same words they do. You can use an online tool to scan your cv against the job spec and tweak accordingly. Definitely get active on LinkedIn and follow any organisations you want to target for opportunities. Comment on relevant posts. Try to build your network and see if you have contacts at any organisation you are applying to to get insights and maybe recommendations.

@Parker231

Many organisations use a computer programme to review CV’s. Unless your CV gets through that process it won’t be seen by a human. Every CV and covering letter needs to be tailored to the job spec.

No they don't. I've used probably 10 or 15 ATS's in my career, and i've demo'd probably 50 maybe.

@Persipan

But what i am saying is, a message to the hiring manager or recruiter on Linkedin to say: Hi, I've applied for your x role I thought I would be a good fit because of xyz.

Sorry but I think this is horrible advice. I know when someone's applied; I have their application. Which I'll review when I shortlist and if it's good, it'll stand out because if being good. In the meantime I don't really want then leaping out at me while I'm doing other stuff, trying to Make! Their! Mark! I'm happy to talk through genuine questions from applicants but contacting me just for the sake of it isn't going to help their application.

I disagree, but clearly the strategy the OP is using isn't working.

Also there are some good free webinars on LinkedIn at the moment, so see if there is anything useful. I’ve seen a couple of career coaches doing stuff. There is loads of good stuff on LinkedIn learning as well so you could take this opportunity to gain extra skills if you can manage to pay for premium for bit.

Head hunter here. You've had some great advice on this thread, I can't stress enough the importance of the tailored CV!

It's becoming very common for recruitment to be automated, so they will be looking for keywords in your CV and cover letter. Really focus on the description and person spec and be sure to 'quote' the words back at them. Obviously you can't repeat everything, but try and go with the top four or five, or words that are repeated throughout the ad.

It's also worth remembering that the job market is saturated with candidates right now, so don't be disheartened. It's become quite the numbers game, keep going, you'll get there. Good luck!

Getting as close to the hiring manager to sell yourself is the best thing you can do.

The roles I've secured have always been from applying but also either speaking to the hiring manager directly or recruitment team. Maybe not in the public sector.

You will be surprised how many companies value candidate experience

Please read the job and person specs carefully. Explain how you meet them, point by point. Usually, what comes first is most important to the recruiter, so structure your CV to match. Be clear but concise, and relevant.
Don't list every school certificate, first aid cert (expired - yes, I've seen that!) and animal husbandry qualification (yes, for an admin /reception post!).
You want them to read your CV and tick off each of their requirements in order.
Yes it means tailoring your CV for each job, yes it's more time and effort, but even pre-covid I've received 140 applications for an admin/reception role.
Good luck.

ATS screening is rare.
If you want to send me your cv, DM me. I'm happy to take a look.

No they don't. I've used probably 10 or 15 ATS's in my career, and i've demo'd probably 50 maybe.

Yes they do. And the applicant can’t know, so might as well assume they will and tailor the CV to the role anyway. Either way it’s a better application.

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst

Please read the job and person specs carefully. Explain how you meet them, point by point. Usually, what comes first is most important to the recruiter, so structure your CV to match. Be clear but concise, and relevant. Don't list every school certificate, first aid cert (expired - yes, I've seen that!) and animal husbandry qualification (yes, for an admin /reception post!). You want them to read your CV and tick off each of their requirements in order. Yes it means tailoring your CV for each job, yes it's more time and effort, but even pre-covid I've received 140 applications for an admin/reception role. Good luck.

The way I see it that although the job I had maybe 6 years ago isn't exactly the role I am applying for (or even the complete opposite) surely it will show that I have transferable skills, and/or I am adaptable to fit within the role advertised?

We use ATS for all corporate experienced hires. As do many of the recruitment agencies we work with.

@MyPersona

No they don't. I've used probably 10 or 15 ATS's in my career, and i've demo'd probably 50 maybe.

Yes they do. And the applicant can’t know, so might as well assume they will and tailor the CV to the role anyway. Either way it’s a better application.

Point is they don't and I've used the big ones, Taleo, ICIMs, Workable, Greenhouse, PeopleHR, Breezy, Lever etc.

There will always be a human reviewing your CV and application.

@FrustratinglyFrustrated

Thanks all for the replies, My most recent role was reception/admin. However, I have quite a varied employment history. Retail/catering/customer services. I don't tailor my CV for each role but I do tailor the cover note. I always bullet point why I feel I would be suited, I pick out points from their job spec and give examples of either how I would achieve this or how I've achieved it in the past. Unfortunately, I can only work occasional weekends, and I feel this may be the reason why I don't hear back from most. I include my availability on my cover note, is this the right thing to do? I don't want to get to the interview and then they are annoyed because I have wasted their time. I am fully flexible throughout the week, just not as much at the weekends. Also, my employment history does go back quite far, do I need to add all jobs I've had since I was 16? If I dont then there will be employment gaps.

No. You shouldn’t include more than 10 years worth of work on your CV as a rule of thumb, unless there is something particularly relevant further back.

How long is your CV if you have 25 years worth of jobs on it? And how much detail of these jobs is there? CV should be 2 sides of A4 maximum.

Recruitment agencies might upload your cv to a CRM that codes it by keyword. But most read them too.
It's a moot point really unless your cv doesn't say what you can and have done. In which case it needs a rewrite! It's more likely to additionally code you as things you also don't do by picking up random words!
Don't stress about the ATS. State honestly what you've done and what your skills and experience things are clearly as previously discussed!
ATS optimised cvs look daft if not done really well.

If you’re not available at the weekend for roles which commonly involve weekend working, this could be your problem as there will be applicants who have that availability.

Point is they don't and I've used the big ones, Taleo, ICIMs, Workable, Greenhouse, PeopleHR, Breezy, Lever etc.

There will always be a human reviewing your CV and application.

OK whatever you say.

What I think is fairly certain is that in the current market no human is going to be reviewing the OP’s CV for 6 year old transferable skills.