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Q: It feels I have sent my resume to a hundred employers during the past two months, but I have not had a single interview or call-back. What’s wrong? I thought I had a pretty good resume and cover letter.  The lack of feedback makes me wonder about the quality of my materials.

A: To get an interview, two aspects must be present. First, your materials have to be high-quality. Second, there needs to be a “match” between your credentials and the role you seek. These factors are, of course, applicable if the prospective employer is in hiring mode. If there is no urgency, or if you are applying for roles that require a different skill set, even high-quality materials will get rejected.

Review your resume and cover letter again to ensure they are both in tip-top shape. (While you are at it, do the same for your FaceBook and LinkedIn profiles.) From there, review the position descriptions of the roles that most interest you. Determine if there a genuine “match” between your background and the positions you seek. A quick way to answer this question is to ask yourself whether or not you have held a similar role with a similar title in the past five years. If so, assume “match.” If not, assume “no match.”

Finally, if there seems to be a match, and your materials are in good order, consider the possibility that the employer may have posted the role on an experimental basis. That is, he or she may have wanted to take the market temperature by evaluating the resumes received in response to their solicitation. Other reasons for no response include funding constraints, reorganization issues and internal politics, all of which can get in the way of the hiring process. An initially sincere listing can get stalled or put on the back burner because of changed circumstances at the hiring company. Or, if it is not absolutely critical to hire, key decision-makers might drag their feet. Let’s face it, avoiding a hire saves money — at least in the short term.

In the meantime, remain positive. Cultivate all of your warm leads and contacts. These will far outweigh cold connections from web listings. Apply only for roles truly aligned with the skills you present on your resume. Take stock of what you do or have done well, and focus on landing a role that showcases these demonstrated skills.

Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our career coaching services.

ExecSearches.com is a job board for nonprofit job seekers interested in fundraising, management and executive nonprofit jobs.

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Last updated on September 19th, 2012 at 11:55 am

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