Memory
You know you’re crazy busy when, not one, but two British career sites (one of which offered to pay me!) send you content to post on your blog and you can’t even take the time to compose a short introductory paragraph to accompany said posts. The good news is that I survived a busy eight weeks of work and school, specifically six papers, six quizzes, three homework assignments, two final exams, and a whole slew of reading – not to mention weekly and sometimes bi-weekly career events on the campus where I work (in between serving an average of 50 students per week), several new clients, and a job club catering to transitioning job seekers. I also barely observed to major Jewish holidays and missed two friends’ 30th birthdays, a baby shower, a wedding shower, and a lot of social gatherings. Needless to say, I am happy to have my life back and happy to be writing to you! Thanks to those of you who kept me in your memory during my hiatus.
Now on to the post…Position Ignition, a U.K.-based career-coaching firm graciously provided the following entry related to resumes and getting yours noticed by an employer’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS). I think you will find that the advice is not all that different from what you might hear on this side of the pond. Speaking of sides of the pond, I am excited that the founders of Position Ignition offered to meet me when I’m in London next month. Career coaches uniting across the globe – how cool!
Post by Nisa Chitakasem of Position Ignition
The way that hiring companies and recruiters are storing, evaluating and shortlisting new graduates’ resumes is already drastically different than to when I was a new graduate. Before, a recruitment agent or an employer’s in-house HR professional would go through a whole pile of resumes that had been submitted to them for just one graduate position. As you can imagine, the individual sorting through these documents only had time to quickly scan each submission for the type of keywords they were looking for. The keywords they were looking for were those words and phrases that indicated a particular candidate was right for the position.
Manually skim-reading each application was never going to be the most scientific or sophisticated way of identifying these all-important keywords, so it’s little wonder that recruiters and employers have embraced new I.T. technology with open arms in order to digitize the process. Nowadays, anyone in the business of hiring and with sufficient resources uses a computerized Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to rank resumes in terms of how pertinent they are to the position they were submitted for. Whilst this is good news for the employer, it’s potentially bad news for you, the graduate job seeker, if you don’t know how to tailor your resume to get you the highest ranking possible. Help is at hand though, with these tips on ensuring your resume impresses any ATS.
- Start your resume with a concise summary that’s rich with keywords pertaining to the job you’re applying to.
- Follow up the summary with short, bulleted points detailing your qualifications and accomplishments, again including keywords that match up with the advertised position.
- If you’re not sure exactly what keywords are relevant to the role on offer, look at the job specification and candidate criteria and identify the words that seem the most integral to the text.
- Be warned that the most advanced ATS technology will take into account the context in which the keywords are used, not merely the actual keywords themselves. Surround keywords with content that actually describes your relevant experience and expertise.
- Don’t misspell words. Misspellings are bad, not because the ATS will pick up on them, but because it won’t. If you misspell a keyword, the ATS won’t notice that word and the word won’t contribute to your resume’s ranking.
- Similarly, it’s wise to avoid using abbreviations, because the ATS may not recognize them. For example, when talking about your degree, type out ‘honors’ instead of using the abbreviation ‘hons.’
- An ATS can also be confused by complicated formatting, so keep the format of your resume as clean and clear as possible.
- Including logos or, in fact, any kind of graphic on the resume is a big no-no for the same reason.
- How you send your resume is almost as important as what you put on it. Before your resume even gets stored on a company’s ATS, it still has to get pass the organization’s email security screening. Attachments may automatically be marked as suspicious so copy and paste the contents of your resume into the body of the email message instead of setting it as an attachment.
- Because of belligerent spam filters, it’s also important to watch what characters and letter-strings you include in the email. Do not, for example, include any exclamation marks or potentially spammy words/letter-strings in either the text of the resume or the rest of the email. For example, if you went to high school in Penistone, England it’s perhaps better to just say that you went to high school near Barnsley in England.
- If you have the option of uploading your resume directly to the company ATS through the employer’s website instead of emailing it, do so.
- Submitting your resume via the website may require you to fill in additional fields as part of the online submission. Fill these fields in even if they are optional. Recruiters often use these optional fields to initially filter out a percentage of the original applications. Make sure you survive this first cut by putting the relevant information into all the fields.
- As the resumes may get sorted out according to these optional fields before they are even opened and read, it’s worth including relevant information in the fields even if you’ve already put it in the actual body of the resume.
So what do you do once you’ve emailed or uploaded your resume to an ATS? Of course, it’s a case of playing the waiting game to some extent but don’t forget to keep an eye on your spam folders when you’re waiting for that email reply to come through. Often, an ATS will automatically generate an email reply to your submission and such an automated email may well end up being recognized by your email filter as spam, even if it’s legit. If you check your spam folder and find that there is indeed an email marked as coming from the organization but you’re not sure if it really has or if it’s a phishing scam, it’s always best to check before opening it. Call up the company to see if its ATS would have started automating replies by now.
Once you receive the email reply, attentively follow any instructions it gives you. If the company wants you to contact it to take your application further, contact the company using the method it has indicated and within the time frame it gives. You will not only be guaranteed a response by doing so; you’ll be guaranteed the fastest possible response.
By following these best practices from start to finish, you have the best chance of negotiating a recruiter’s or employer’s email screening system, spam filters and ATS with optimal success. With the ATS in particular, it’s important for first time job seekers to know that there really is no mystery to it. It’s as simple as giving the ATS what it wants and pushing its buttons—and if you’re applying for jobs you’re actually suited to, pushing all the right buttons is not that difficult at all.
About the author:
Nisa Chitakasem, created Position Ignition to help support professionals through their career challenges. She has co-authored a range of ebooks to help people through various career challenges including: How to Get the Job You Want, How to Ace the Interview, 125 Twitter Job Search Tips, 125 LinkedIn Job Search Tips and 135 Networking Career Tips.
You can also find more career articles from Nisa on their Job Search and Career Advice Blog.
Put me in Coach!
This blog entry is somewhat delayed because my Mac's hard drive crashed on Monday night. Yes, it can happen on a Mac! I had most of the entry written on the plane, and when I got home the blue screen of death was all I got. I know you are thinking to yourself that the blue screen is only reserved for PCs, but I am living proof that one can mourn the death of a Mac just as easily as a PC. I lost 88 days of files because my husband and I were "too busy" to fix the backup program we had downloaded. Please learn from our mistakes - at least until everything is floating in the so-called "cloud". There are just some things too important to ignore...filing your taxes, smelly trash, and now a computer without its files backed up! I appreciate your bearing with me through my moment of technological catharsis. Now on to the actual blog entry...
Coaching has been on my mind lately because I recently received approval to take on an interdisciplinary approach to my MBA via an Executive Coaching Certification Program offered through my university's college of education. To provide a bit of background, I had submitted the petition to have the courses comprising the program count toward my MBA electives several months ago. I sent two exceedingly kind requests for updates on the status of my petition to the program administrator, only to find out from our department chair that she was waiting until the last minute to process my request to prove to me (along with other students waiting for responses) that she had more pressing concerns to attend to. Upon receipt of the department chair's coaching to "remain patient", I only grew more inflamed. I waited until a week ago (two weeks from the college of education's course registration deadline) and then decided to call in a "referee." Shortly thereafter, my petition miraculously made its way across this administrator's desk and within 24 hours it was approved by the department chair and the dean of all three MBA programs! Moral of the Story: If after several coaching attempts you aren't arriving at a desired result, you may need to call in a referee - or therapist!
Here are a few quick tips to coach you through the interview process as it relates to some of my recent experiences and the sports metaphor...For the record, I am lousy at organized sports (I sweat just thinking about athletic competition), however I played one season of softball and my brothers played baseball and umpired for years, so I am declaring myself a pseudo-baseball expert for purposes of this blog entry.
I recently mock interviewed a student who got so nervous in his interview that his confidence and personality completely evaporated - let's call him Jerry. Now, I am not an intimidating interviewer, contrary to what some of my former New York colleagues might have said! I try to set the candidates at ease before I grill them to identify and start probing into the red flags. While debriefing, I asked Jerry about what would make him so excited that he would jump up and down screaming and shouting. He couldn't come up with anything at first, so I went back to his resume and was reminded of his interest in international soccer. "How about if you received an all-expense paid first class trip to London to watch Arsenal play on their home turf?" Well, you'd have thought I told him he was going to get automatic A's that semester based on the size of the smile on his face. "I want you to think about that trip before you go into every interview, okay Jerry?" He nodded happily, and went on his way. Keep your fingers crossed that he clears the bases (i.e. has a few successful interviews)!
Getting to Know You
One of the perks of my MBA program is having the opportunity to select a mentor from an esteemed group of nearly 250 Dallas area business professionals. We attend several Meet and Greet sessions with a cross section of these individuals in order to narrow down the list and identify a few “candidates” who may be able to advise us in our future career pursuits.
Needless to say, I have been doing A LOT of schmoozing in the past two weeks. Between these interactions, the student follow up related to our campus career fair, and in coaching my sister-in-law through the tail end of her job search process, I have been writing my own thank you notes and helping others craft theirs. I thought you might also benefit from a review of what to include in a thank you letter.
THANK YOU LETTER WRITING TIPS 
Electronic vs. hand-written
Some employers prefer to receive a hand-written thank you letter/card. That said, it is completely appropriate to send the thank you letter via email if you have the person’s email address. Some employers may consider email less personal, but it may be your only option if a hiring decision will be made quickly. I have heard others advise that the email thank you letter should be written as if you were mailing the letter, but this really depends on the nature of the relationship and the reason for the letter. Personal story: as a recruiter, I probably checked my snail mail every other week because I was either on the road or busy. When in doubt, send an email thank you.
When should you send it?
Send your thank you within 24 hours of the interaction! Prompt follow up demonstrates your enthusiasm for the position (or appreciation for the guidance/assistance he or she has provided you) and your ability to follow-up on potential future tasks or assignments.
What type of paper or stationery should I use?
Use resume paper and matching envelopes or professional thank you notes if mailing. Keep a stock of high quality thank you cards on hand. The presentation of your letter or note demonstrates your professionalism. The same goes for an electronic letter – make sure your email signature and any headers look professional.
What if I have lousy penmanship?
If you write like a first-grader, then you should probably email your thank you message. This may seem like a crazy idea, but you could also locate a typewriter (they still exist – mostly in libraries and administration offices) and type on to the card itself.
To whom should I address the letter/card?
Always address your letters to a specific individual. Spell the name correctly, and make sure you have the correct title and business address. Collecting business cards (and noting email signatures) from all contacts throughout your job search or networking process is the best way to verify contact information.
Do I have to send a separate one to each person with whom I met?
Essentially, you should send a thank you to anyone who has assisted you with any step in your job search process. Write each thank you letter separately, even if you follow a similar format for each person involved in your interviewing process.
What should I include in the letters/cards?
The letter should specifically highlight what was discussed in your conversation and reiterate your interest and qualifications. Here’s an example: During our discussion, you impressed upon me that the person who takes on this role should be outgoing, organized, and possess strong attention to detail. Keeping this in mind, I feel that my ability to establish and maintain relationships, my goal and results-oriented attitude, my focus on the details, and my well-rounded personality are factors that differentiate me from other candidates, and make me well suited for the position. The writer provided examples of how he/she demonstrated these strengths in another part of the letter, but made sure to drive the points home in the end.
A few final thoughts:
· Be brief, (no more than 2 to 3 paragraphs) and make sure the letter is error-free. Have someone proofread it for you just to double check. If you plan to send a handwritten card it can be helpful to write or type your thoughts out before writing your message directly on to the card.
· Be honest and sincere. Always be able to support claims with evidence.
· Make an effort to personalize your thank you letter/note as much as possible.
· Express your appreciation for your contact’s time and consideration. Refer to the interview date (date you met) and the position for which you were interviewing if applicable.
· Reiterate how your qualifications and experiences match what the employer is seeking.
· Confirm your interest in the position and use the opportunity to provide or offer supplemental information that was not discussed, or anything you want to clarify.
· Even if you are applying for an internal position in your organization, you should still send a prompt thank you!
Other resources
Thank You Letter Samples and Guidance
How to Compose an Effective Cover Letter
Career Blunder (Thanks for Nothing): One of my out of state relatives (who we’ll refer to as Jessica) recently shared this story. Jessica was invited to a family friend’s wedding and bridal shower. Jessica was unable to attend the shower as she was attending another wedding that weekend, but she did send a nice gift that was beautifully wrapped (or so she said). The bride sent Jessica a thank you note after the shower, which read, “Thank you so much for the lovely gift. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed visiting with you at my shower!” Yikes! While not a career blunder, this is DEFINITELY a thank you blunder since Jessica very clearly didn’t attend the wedding shower yet the bride acknowledged her non-existent presence. Moral of the Story: If you are sending job (or wedding) related thank you notes en masse, proofread them AND get a second set of eyes on those notes!
Money Makes the World Go Around
I recently observed Liza Minelli’s stellar performance in the movie version of Cabaret. The musical is set against the backdrop of Pre-WWII Berlin - yet another show with a sad theme set to a catchy soundtrack. The Cabaret song “Money” came to mind during a Dallas CareerConnection meeting I attended this week. Several unemployed job seekers shared their dollar stretching “survival stories” after having maintained a reasonable standard of living in spite of being unemployed for over a year.
To provide some background before giving away the strategies… “CareerConnection is the oldest and largest career management and networking organization in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex”. Close to 200 people attended the general session I observed this week. The group meets weekly on Tuesday mornings at the Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church (which is massive by the way). Lisa Miller, the warm and energetic Executive Director, refers to herself as “Chief People Officer.” It was fitting! I could tell that she was quite the connector in the Dallas Fort Worth area.
Weekly Meeting Agenda
9:00-10:00a.m. - New Member Orientation (The initial fee for membership is $30 plus an additional $10 a month)
10:00-11:00 – Announcements (including new placements, leads, connections)
11:00-noon – Outside Speaker(s) and presentation by one of nearly twenty industry/job function or geographic-focused (CMGs) Career Management Groups
Noon- (and some other days) – CMG-specific networking meetings
I started to felt a lot of positive energy emitting from this crowd once the announcements started coming in. That makes it sound like I was attending a revivial, but it really wasn’t that dramatic. During the ten o’clock hour, several members shared their job success stories and countless others raised their hands to see if anyone in the room could connect them to a company or industry of interest. The responses to this reach out were numerous – almost every request was met with a response. This certainly reiterated my theme from a previous blog entry, that even if you are unemployed you can still help others (and be helped in return). A number of DFW area companies post jobs and seek candidates through this organization and these openings were shared aloud during the hour.
The best perk that comes with membership (in my opinion) is having the opportunity to join one of the functional area/industry or geographic Career Management Groups. Those tied to industry or job function include: Accounting/Finance, Architects/Designers, HR/Org. Development/Training, Journey of Faith, Marketing, Legal/Attorneys, Non-Profit, Project Management, Real Estate, Sales/Bus. Development, Supply Chain Management, Technology, and Engineering/Telecom. The geographic groups represent Arlington, Lewisville, McKinney/Collin County, Tarrant County, and Uptown.
“Survivor” was actually the theme of this meeting and during the 11:00 hour Architect/Designer CMG enhanced their delivery with torches, costumes, natural-looking signage, and even a safari scene in the PowerPoint deck! While, fun and engaging, I couldn’t help but wonder if the effort placed on the presentation may have been better spent on the job search. That said, the group offered a clever list of cost-cutting tips, the comprehensive impact of which allowed several individuals to keep their homes and sacred belongings. While those of us with steady employment should probably be stimulating the economy with our earnings, there will probably come a time when each of us could benefit from the advice shared by the group:
Cost-Cutting Survival Tips
- Make a budget and stick to it.
- Watch your electricity bill – unplug surge protectors and any device when not in use.
- Cut your car insurance – tell the company that you are unemployed and they will often reduce your bill (it could save you 10-20% for the year – sounds like a Geico commercial).
- Move your cash to a free checking account – sometimes the new bank will make a deposit for you!
- Ask your credit card companies if they can do anything to reduce your accrued interest or late fees. According to the presenters, not all credit card company employees are ruthless, greedy scumbags.
- Raise the temperature in your home – every degree can cut your bill by 10-20%
- Buy name brand clothes at wholesale clubs like Costco (they mentioned Sam’s, but most of you know that I despise all things associated with Wal-mart).
- Purchase used household items from Goodwill or on E-Bay. One of the speakers was featured in a Dallas Morning News column because he bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner at Goodwill for $12. Apparently they retail for $499. Talk about let’s make a deal!
- Cut coupons (watch for double coupon days) and buy food in season. It is cheaper and tastes better anyway!
- Bundle your bills when possible (e.g. cell phones, landline, internet, and cable all through one company). Negotiate for a lower rate. I would add that one should think about foregoing cable, but I can understand if the E Network gets your motor running and you need it.
- If you do not have health insurance and need care, visit a CVS Minute Clinic.
- Contact the pharmaceutical companies directly to ask if they will comp your meds because you are unemployed. The speaker did this and now receives all of his drugs for free! I almost fell off my chair when he said this – as did most of the room. He had to repeat himself twice.
- Work outside your home during peak times of day when you would have to usea lot of gas or electricity. Libraries offer free internet and computers you can use to assist you with your job search. Enjoy their free A/C!
- Strategically plan your errands so that you can minimize the amount of gas used.
- Take a defensive driving course to reduce your auto insurance premium.
- Sign up for focus groups – researchers often pay in cash!
- My favorite tip: Buy your shoes at the $9.99 store. Apparently you can get designer shoes at this price if you have an eagle eye and learn when new inventory arrives. Only in Dallas, right?
The demographics of the group ranged from recent graduate to retiree and covered a wide range of racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity. After a woman with a thick British accent shared that she had recently moved to Dallas from Kansas in search of a job in corporate finance, I decided that they had most of their bases covered. Even though the group meets in a church, I believe that CareerConnection is a completely secular organization. Either way, it was clear that all are welcome. I would advise anyone unemployed or looking to make a career transition to visit at least once.
Career Blunder “When job seeking, you’re always on the clock”: A few years ago, I met a student through the recruiting process who I’ll refer to as Olivia. She also happened to live in my building. Olivia had a great personality, but unfortunately her low GPA prevented her from securing a competitive internship opportunity with my firm. We agreed to stay in touch regarding future full-time opportunities. One night, I ran into Olivia in the elevator. She was so intoxicated that she could barely stand up straight. Once she recognized me, a series of belligerent unrecognizable words came out of her mouth. I quickly exited the elevator and filed the experience away. Several months later, when Olivia resubmitted her resume for full-time employment I remembered our little elevator encounter and put her resume in the “no” pile.
Moral of the Story: Dallas is a big city, but not that big (and neither is any other city, for that matter). You never know who you might run into and where you might run into them. If you’re a job seeker (or frankly if you are ever going to be a job seeker) you must always be on your guard, and not just with regard to your blood alcohol level!
Love Stinks
Have you ever noticed how closely the job search parallels the dating scene?
Two things recently triggered this comparison in my mind – one, hearing a song from the Wedding Singer musical on the radio and two, a student whose recruitment experience reminded me of what is feels like to be “dumped”. As an aside, “Love Stinks” is The Wedding Singer movie, not the musical. I know this because when two college friends came to visit me (while I was still living in the New York Metro area) this was the show they suggested we see – out of all of the wonderful Broadway classics. Not Phantom, not A Chorus Line, not even Grease (the show I detest the most), but this one. I probably should not even admit this, but the musical was actually really good and some of the tracks are very funny, especially those which conjure up images of New Jersey.
To get us back on topic, I composed a list of the Top 10 Reasons Why the Job Search is Like Dating. I hope they give you a laugh and a good walk down memory lane.
10. You get nervous (and usually sweaty) during the first live meeting
Do you find that your palms sweat when you’re nervous? This is a typical physiological reaction – both in dating and especially in an interview. Within the job context, make sure you have a handkerchief or tissue on hand to combat this. Honestly, few things gross a recruiter out more than a candidate with sweaty palms – yuck! And…you can bet your dating partner won’t be too keen on it either!
9. You’d rather communicate electronically than over the phone
I am pretty sure that it is nearly impossible to contract a communicable disease through the use of telephone, so why are men (sorry, it’s your gender that is usually to blame here) and candidates so terrified of Alexander Graham Bell’s miraculous communication tool. It is easier to pick up the phone and have a conversation (and arrive at an immediate outcome for that matter) rather than to go back and forth over email.
8. What you wear can make a BIG difference
I wish I could teleport those two smooth talkers on What Not to Wear every time I see a student make a professional wardrobe blunder. Dressing for one’s body type is critical, whether it’s for a date or an interview. When I was growing up, my mom would not let us go to the mall until we perused the selection at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I used to complain incessantly that those stores would not have the embroidered sweatshirts and jeans I wanted from the Limited Too. Now, I can give her credit for teaching me a.) that you can still get fabulous clothes for a great price if you take the time to search and b.) that “designer” (shocking to see what goes for tween designer fashion these days) clothes are not made for every body type. Fortunately, I have a great local friend who also introduced Steinmart into the mix. My mom would be so proud that I found a local bargain-hunting sidekick!
7. When they like you, you know it 
I stole this from He’s Just not That Into You. As in most cases, the book was far better than the movie, which was unrealistic and contradictory. Therefore, since that awful movie stole two hours of my life, I have no qualms whatsoever about stealing a key concept from the book. Whether it’s a dating partner or a prospective employer, the level of attention you receive and the time frame in which you receive it are usually indicative of the level of interest in you. If they are not calling (or emailing/texting, whatever) the guy/gal/company IS NOT THAT INTO YOU.
6. The way someone presents him/herself on paper may differ dramatically from the in person presentation
Someone who reports that he or she “likes long romantic walks on the beach” may actually prefer long adrenaline-pumping football games in front of the television with a beer. This could be a real deal breaker. Similarly, a candidate who cannot clearly articulate the accomplishments from his or her resume is unlikely to make it past the career fair booth or an initial round interview.
5. Establishing a connection beyond a social context is critical
We all know someone who met their spouse/significant other in a bar. One of my friends actually met her spouse on spring break while doing a keg stand in Panama City Beach. You can also meet your ideal employer in such a situation, but the key part is establishing a meaningful connection when beer, techno, and bar attire are absent from the scene.
4. Timing is everything 
How many stories have you heard that start this way, ‘well if only Beth hadn’t dragged me out to dinner that night I wouldn’t have met Bobby…” It works the same way with the job search. You have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. I continually remind my job-seeking sister-in-law that if she doesn’t apply for an opportunity as soon as it is posted, the job may go to a more eager beaver candidate. Further, if you don’t take advantage of professional networking events you hear about, you may miss the boat on making a great connection. If you stay at home watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns in your sweatpants you have zero chance of meeting Mr. Right (or Ms. Right Job).
3. The on-line search is not enough
In life and in love, you must supplement your on-line research with live networking and personalized follow up. If you apply for positions on-line, it is imperative that you identify a human being (at least one, but identifying multiple humans is better) in the organization to whom you can send your resume and possibly ask them to “put in a good word” for you. You may recall from a previous blog entry that a student I know sent a hard copy resume and customized cover letter with a matching envelope directly to the hiring manager for every role for which he applied. I can hear you groaning behind your computer/phone and saying to yourself, “that seems so time consuming.” Well, so is investing in a relationship, and wouldn’t you rather be with someone who values and appreciates that investment?
2. Parting gracefully is always the way to go
No one likes a scene (unless you’re a member of my crazy family). If an employer chooses not to further pursue your candidacy, it is not appropriate to mail every piece of company literature you collected back to them, leave nasty messages via voice mail or email, or to speak ill of them to everyone in your personal and extended network. While these are extreme cases of sour grapes (that we have all, at one time or another, done to a prospective significant other – don’t lie, you know you have), even mild forms of exhibiting frustration over not being hired are inappropriate. If you receive a regret, send a thank you for the opportunity, ask to stay in touch, and keep any heated venting over your situation to a trusted few. Do not burn down any proverbial bridges!
Drumroll please… #1. Sometimes you get dumped (regretted/rejected) for no reason at all and it STINKS!
How many times have you had to counsel a friend not to call an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend to understand why he/she was dumped? Typically, the reason is either lame, non-existent, and/or not worth knowing. While meaningful feedback from an employer could help you improve the next time around, it is unlikely that you will ever receive said feedback. An interviewer puts his or her organization at risk by sharing specifics about your interview performance. You are better off having a career counselor (shameless plug), friend, or mentor conduct a mock interview with you in order to receive advice on where you need to improve. As in love, when you ask “why” you’re likely to get a vague and unsatisfying answer.
Career Blunder: A student I recently worked with (let’s call him James) participated in a structured internship recruiting process several years ago. All of James’ friends received internship offers and subsequently full-time offers from one particular organization. James did not receive an offer, and has been on a slow search for a full-time gig ever since. James shared that he possessed the same credentials as all of his friends, so he was and I quote “entitled” (yes, actually used the words) to the same job. This conversation drove home the point that sometimes we just don’t know why an employer isn’t “interested in us”. Fortunately, this student’s friends were giving him the same advice I would have given, so I didn’t have to go into a diatribe on why no one is entitled to a job. The point is that companies have personalities just like people do, and in the long run an employer is not attracted to candidate just because he or she looks good on paper. It’s hard not to take things personally in a situation like this, but as in love, you have to let go of the string of emotions and eventually move forward.