Make contacts for a shot at job
I'm a registered nurse with 20 years' experience. recently applied for a job as a nurse recruiter. The same day I got the e-mail telling me I was not chosen for an interview, the organization reposted the same job. Should I reformat my resume and try again, or give up? I think I would do well, but I don't know how to get the skills or experience they obviously want without actually being in the job.
J.T.: The solution isn't more education or a reformatted resume. Neither will increase your chances. It's the applicant tracking system that's tossing you out. These systems use keywords and years of experience to determine whether you are a fit, and since you can't lie about the recruiting experience, you won't make it through the online system.
Dale: Well ... while you can't lie, you can spin. If, for instance, in one or more of your jobs you helped recruit nurses, you can list it as a skill/achievement, and perhaps you will slip through the automated system. However, that's likely to be a false victory — you might get an interview, but prob-
ably not the job. Odds are that they need someone who knows exactly what to do in the job because they are not in a position to offer training/support to a rookie.
J.T.: So here's what you do: Find several nurse recruiters and contact them to learn more about how they broke into the field. This should give you inside information on what you can do to better your chances. In short, you need to connect with people and share your enthusiasm if you want to persuade them to give you a shot. You can't do that via a computer.
Dale: You might be wondering why these busy recruiting professionals would bother to meet with you. But with your 20 years of experience, you have a large network to call upon and to share with them. If you offer to help them make new contacts, they should be delighted to sit down with you. If it goes well, you might offer to help them as a paid intern or a part-time employee. You'll quickly gain the experience and skills to scoff at the robo-gatekeepers blocking your applications.