No one's reading that resume you sent:
. -- Baffled because you nailed the qualifications for a job and never heard a word? Ticked because you blew an entire weekend polishing up your resume? Let me let you in on a secret: No one ever saw it.

In the not to distant past applicants obsessed over whether to craft their curriculum vitae on white,ivory or bone paper and which font would project authority without pretense. Then there was the question of whether to play it straight or let that baby stretch out on to two pages.

Your mission was to impress a person in a suit.........

Now, you must "impress" a computer programmed to eliminate you.

Candidates who apply to positions on monster & careerbuilder are lost in the shuffle literally & corporate recruiters are inundated with countless resumes for the positions. Unfortunately most of these candidates are not qualified. In order to help these recruiters sift through the garbage they have developed keyword algorithms that do the sifting for them. Hiring managers set up a search request to hunt down keywords, such as those used in the job description, along with other identifying factors. For example, the desired accounting candidate must be a Bellarmine grad with a grade-point average above 3.5 who now lives in ZIP code 40242. So although you may be the brightest CPA in your firm and mommy's little angel, your resume will plummet to the bottom of the virtual pile if you're not a dead-on match -- or close to it. And, in most instances, you'll never know why nobody called you.

So now that your super psyched about applying to that dream job- let me help you understand how to be noticed.

First- avoid the macro job boards- the big boards are an absolute waste of time (I'll try to be more succinct in the future)

Second- Find a niche jobsite created with your interest in mind. The big job sites are feeling the pinch from smaller more community oriented sites (it's the whole Long Tail effect in play) this benefits you because you already know the employer is looking for candidates with skills & background. The site itself has dwindled down the candidate pool, thus elminating the harsh unforgiving algorithms (well at least to a certain extent).

Third- There's no substitute for networking. Find a site that has the ability to let you network with other candidates. Build connections & leverage those connections to get your foot in the door. Name dropping is irreplaceable.

Finally if you're a current or former athlete sign up today www.thecorporateplaybook.com
The site created for athletes by athletes with a mission to connect former collegiate & professional athletes with growing organizations. The Corporate Playbook has numerous fortune 500 companies who want the skills & attributes that athletes posses (think back to the second commandment in this post, you will be beating the algorithms, finding a niche site focused on you & most important you'll get connected with other athletes/employers.

Happy Hunting......

TCP