With COVID raging and people out of work, we have added career coaching to our list of services by partnering with a leader in the field that has helped more than 100,000 executives get back in the saddle. Allow me to elaborate.

Back in 1998, I exited a small software company I had helped found and went to work for a major enterprise-wide software giant with offices all over the world. I found the job in a local paper. The ad had a phone number to call, which I did. I was shocked to be put through to the Practice Director doing the hiring. After a nice chat, he asked me to send my resume, which I also did. Soon after, I got a call to come in and interview, and he hired me on the spot. I started with them and worked for four years until I got laid off after 9/11.

The point of all this is that job searches were much different than today, even just 22 years ago. We sometimes lose sight of the changes wrought by the Internet. In the ensuing years, online job boards have dominated the hiring process. Today there are over 40,000 of them, ranging from very small to humongous. Unfortunately, only about 20% of companies actually use the big public boards like Indeed, Monster, Glass Door, etc. Eighty percent of executive positions are either found on the private boards, which are accessible only to the hiring and placement communities, company websites, and LinkedIn.

Even if you do have access to these various “insider” boards, it’s not enough. The average call-back rate on resumes submitted to major employers is only about 3%. Obviously, employment rates are much smaller.

The issue is the vast majority of resumes are never even read. Most large companies receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for each job posting. Google is reported to get over 2 million applicants per year. That’s 40,000 per week! To say going through that many applicants is daunting doesn’t begin to cover it. It’s impossible for humans to do that. On average, you can expect to be competing with a couple hundred other applicants for each job you apply for. First stop for your resumé in such a world is something called an “Applicant Tracking System,” or ATS.

The ATS is a sophisticated program that scans resumés and matches them up to job descriptions people apply for. The primary objective of the ATS is to weed out unsuitable candidates. In order to get your resumé read, you must have a match score of at least 85%. In the 90s is better. Unfortunately for most people–even top-level executives–it is in the low 30s. So, if you have been seeking employment and feel like you are spinning your wheels, you quite likely are. It seems it doesn’t matter how well rounded you are if you remain invisible. And unless your resumé is read, that is exactly what you will do…remain invisible. Furthermore, being well rounded doesn’t necessarily help. If the job calls for a square peg and you are a round one, you must figure a way to square the circle or move on.

The psychology of what happens in a job search can be confusing. When someone reads a job description for which they may be a perfect fit, it’s tempting to start thinking things like, wow, they are talking to me! I fit like a glove. I must be the one they are looking for. All I must do is show up and present myself and I am a shoo-in. So, we write a resumé all about us, we practice interviewing techniques that highlight us and put us in the best light, and when we get called into the interview, we enthusiastically talk about ourselves as the perfect candidate. And then we wonder why we never hear back.

The reason is simple. The job and job search are not about you. This isn’t a quest to find you; it’s a quest to fill the job. When the job recruiter or hiring manager evaluate you, their only thoughts are, “how will this make my life better?” In other words, it’s entirely about them and the job. You are simply a potential cog to throw into the mix, and as such are easily discarded and forgotten, unless you make yourself unforgettable.

How to overcome that? You must rewrite your resumé for every single job to which you apply. While tedious, it isn’t that difficult. Cut and paste the job description into a word processer program, and rewrite each paragraph and bullet point, framed in your own words, but using their key words. This is the only way to ensure you get into that 85% and above range for each job you apply to. By doing so, you become the “must talk to” candidate.

However, it doesn’t end there. Getting your resumé read in this brave new world usually doesn’t get you a call back and interview. Typically, it results in an investigation to confirm you are who and what you say you are. Nine times out of ten, these investigations are conducted on LinkedIn. With 500 million users, it’s easy to see why.

Once on LinkedIn, it’s not enough just to show your job experience and resumé. They already have that. They are doing the investigation because your resumé has positioned you as almost too good to be true. And they want you to be true. They want to find the ideal candidate for the job. So, when they go onto LinkedIn, they want to see that you are part of the networks they expect, that you have the requisite contacts, and best yet, that you are a thought leader, so blogging is important.

Blogging is also useful. Here’s an example. I was coaching a woman looking for a customer service management position. When I asked her what specific achievements she had made during her recent job, her response was that they really didn’t keep track of that. That is NOT something you want to say in an interview. How then to address it when asked? She can’t come out and say they didn’t do it, and she can’t avoid or lie about it. What might she do?

I suggested she write a blog on LinkedIn, sharing her experience at that job (no company names in the blog!), and framing the issue as one she regarded as a failure, emphasizing the need and the price paid by the company for not doing so. Now, when asked, she can respond something like, “I’m so glad you asked. We didn’t and it was a source of real frustration for me. In fact, I wrote a blog post on LinkedIn about it.” Now she has turned a real liability into a potential asset. It may not work 100% of the time, but at least she has a story to tell and a blog post to back her up. Lemons into lemonade.

Stephen Kelley is a recognized leader in retirement income planning. Located in Nashua, NH, he services Greater Boston and the New England areas. He is author of five books, including “Tell Me When You’re Going to Die and I’ll Tell You How Well You Can Live,” which deals with the problem that unknown lifespans create for retirement planning. It and his other books are available on Amazon.com. His radio program, The Free Money Guys, can be heard every Sunday at noon on WCAP. He also conducts planning workshops at his New England Adult Learning Center, located in Nashua. Initial consultations are always free. You can reach Steve at 603-881-8811 or at www.FreeToRetireRadio.com.

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