HOME PAGE

HOW NOT TO E-MAIL YOUR RESUME

Jobnet's Placement Consultants Directory

HOW NOT TO E-MAIL YOUR RESUME
Hardeep Sodhi is a founder member of NAESCON (National Association Of Executive Search Consultants)

He runs MMM Consultants at New Dlhi

In a Survey we did on the effectiveness of sending UNSolicited Resume’s (Resume’s being sent without any specific requirement ) , about 70 % of the respondents rated this technique as PATHETIC in getting them any Results !
As an Executive Search Consultant on the RECEIVING end of these “ Unsolicited Resume’s” , here is my take on why they may not be working for you ..starting from the obvious reasons to some not so obvious ( as it seems ! ) to many of the Job Seekers.

a) ATTACHMENTS : If your Resume’ is being e-mailed as an attachment, chances that it will be downloaded / read may be substantially reduced. MOST Consultants / Employers prefer NO attachments ( or a “text” attachment ) to minimize Virus related issues as well as precious Internet/ PC resources. They are not interested in Photographs or Fancy Formatting, just the Content should be clear.
b) E-MAIL ADDRESS : You have sent your Resume’ to many places, mentioning an E-mail address. Is it still Correct and valid ?? Nowadays E-mail is practically the FIRST mode of contact, so if yours is not valid perhaps you are just missing out on some responses !!

c) LOCATION, LOCATION and LOCATION : While E-mail has made it easier for candidates to send their Resume’s all over the Globe, it has ALSO made it easier for Employers to source LOCAL talent first. This really depends upon your unique skill sets. For example, if you are a Secretary/Accountant working in Calcutta, sending in your Resume’ ( even if in response to a SPECIFIC vacancy ) to a Consultant / Employer in Delhi is simply not going to work out ! No employer will spend money on calling you from Calcutta for an interview when such skill sets are readily available around him !

This is hard but true.
If you are in such a situation you have to take some hard decisions. We know of people who relocate and stay with friends and finally take up an offer at a low salary just to get settled in a City with better career options / salaries for a person with their skill sets. However, you have to be very sure of your competencies since higher the salary budget larger is the Candidate Pool competing for the job.

d) NO URGENCY : A Hiring Decision is made ONLY when a need is CLEARLY established. There is a process for it and you simply can not side step it. If you are sending an Unsolicited Resume’ to a prospective Employer, one of the following could happen :
1) It will be discarded since there is no immediate need.
2) If a possible “ future” need which your Resume’ fills is clearly evident, it may be forwarded to the Hiring Authority for that particular Skill Sets for his/her opinion and comments,
3) Being in no hurry the Hiring Authority may pass ADVERSE comments on the Resume’ and send it back to the HR Department, OR
4) It may be sent back to the HR Department as “ Perhaps Acceptable” when they MAY store it for future reference.
5) If the HR Executive has some time on his/her hand, you may even be called for an interview to assess “ possible future fit “. Again, there being no immediate need, the possibility of getting adverse comments on your Resume’ is high.
Fact is, even if you get POSITIVE comments in this process, you are STILL going to be in competition with the fresh applications that will be called for when the need arises !

The worst scenario is # 3 above...many Organizations now keep track of the REJECTS as well and when the ACTUAL need does arise, your application ( even if resubmitted ) may be rejected since adverse comments on your Resume’ are already a matter of record !!

e) CONSULTANT’S FIELD OF FOCUS : Almost every Consultant who works professionally has expertise and domain knowledge by which he adds value to his Client’s Recruitment Process. Ignoring this will not help you. For example, if you are a Senior Level professional and send in your Resume’ to someone who specializes in Entrance Level Call Center kind of positions you risk just being ignored ( or - worse perhaps - being put up for the wrong positions ! ).
So, it is INVARIABLY better to check if the Consultant handles positions close to your skill sets before sending in your Resume’. Such details may be predominantly displayed on the Consultant’s Website, for example.
f) QUESTIONS AND DOUBTS ! : Sending an Unsolicited Resume’ to some Employers can have quite the reverse effect . Questions such as WHY this Candidate is so vigorously pursuing a Job Change..is he not performing well in his present job ? Is he applying to all and sundry and if so, is he worth spending time with ? Will he be a stable employee if/when recruited ? ... are a natural consequence of such a submission.
g) TIME : The foundation for all of above is the fact that everyone of us has practically NO time to devote to an activity which has a VERY high probability of being fruitless. While Executive Search Consultants may still (and indeed many do ! ) spend time in glancing through and filing a Resume’ for possible future use , generally the HR Department of a good Company has many other things to take care of which demand its immediate attention. And they know that at the right time they can rely upon good Executive Search Consultants to present them with Candidates which are HIGHLY Relevant, Suitable AND interested in THEIR position at THAT moment in time !!

In fact the Resume’s being sent in by a professional Executive Search Consultant in good standing wth the Client are INVARIABLY read with much closer attention. There is a past track of proven competencies and performance of the Consultant to back up his submission. And if he doesn’t maintain the same competency levels he’ll not retain the Client for long !

We even have had many cases when the same candidate has applied direct as well as via ourselves. He was shortlisted for the interview via us !!
Bearing all the above factors in mind, the best strategy is to send in your Resume’ against SPECIFIC positions for which your profile fits very well. These positions can be found via Consultants and various Ads on Jobsites, Newspapers etc. and of course also via your own efforts. All of them will generally have well-defined application procedures which should be rigorously adhered to so that your Resume’ has the BEST chance of making to the next stage !

 Jobnet's Placement Consultants Directory - India & International

What's Inside?

• Placement Consultants in over 38 cities in India

• International Placement Consultants in over 31 countries

• Coverage in MNC's NGO's UN Government & Indian Co websites

• Special Section for Freshers

with complete Addresses, telephone numbers, email ids & specializations.
Jobnet Placement Consultants Directory - Order Online or Call - 09811017183