The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies:
"I send out lots of resumes but don't ever get any interviews -- what's wrong?"

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments. Read more.

There could be any number of reasons why this situation is occurring. Here's a list of the four things you need to be evaluating.

First, are you sending out a quality resume? One of the most fundamental problems in job-hunting is having a poor quality resume. A poor quality resume is an unfocused resume, a poorly designed (read ugly) resume, or an error-filled resume. A job-seeker's resume is a critical marketing tool -- and whose main purpose is to get you an interview. So, if you're not getting interviews, your first step must be evaluating your resume. Your resume must be a sharply honed document that clearly identifies your strengths, accomplishments, and career focus. It is not a life history, so it does not need to contain every single job you have ever had. At the same time, it is a statement of facts, so do not lie or stretch the truth about degrees, employers, job titles, length of employment. Your resume should also be attractive -- with solid margins and crisp fonts -- and without garish colors or miniature type sizes; it should also be -- in most situations -- no longer than two pages. Finally, a resume should be error-free; any kind of typo or spelling error is likely to send your resume into the trash.

Second, are you send the correct format and version? Because there are numerous approaches to resume writing and numerous approaches to resume delivery, it is important for all job-seekers to determine each employer's preference. Most corporate career centers give you explicit details about how to submit a resume to the company, and job-seekers who ignore these instructions risk having your resume ignored. (Read more about resume formats and versions in Question 9.)

Third, are you sending your resume to the right places? A shotgun approach to job-hunting, where you send your resume to every possible employer and every possible job opening, is almost never effective. You need a selective and strategic approach to job-hunting. You need to have a strategy -- and stick with it. You should use as many job-hunting techniques as possible -- your network, your college's alumni and career services office, professional organizations, online job boards (national, regional, and industry-specific), company career centers of specific employers, and traditional cold contact -- just do so selectively. In all cases, try to send your resume to the hiring manager -- along with a dynamic cover letter.

Fourth, are you following-up your resume submissions? Your work is not done once you submit your resume; in fact, your work has just begun! Once you've sent your resume, the key to landing interviews is follow-up. Contact employers -- by phone or email -- and request a job interview. Don't be rude, but do be aggressive. Following up with employers shows your interest in the position. And, if in the end the employer decides you are not qualified for the position, you might consider asking for an informational interview as a way to build your network and get a foot in the door of the company.

Finally, here are some tools that can help you:

• Guide to Job-Hunting
• Job Search Checklist
• Resume Resources
• Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume
• Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven't Found a Job
• 10 Ways to Develop Job Leads

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