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Ask HN: How do I get my resume to pass application bots’ analysis?

This is the first time in my career that I’m applying to larger companies and I’m getting immediate rejections which tells me I’m not passing their algorithms. Without lying or being dishonest, what are some tips to get through this stage of the process? Should I put every single technology I’ve worked with in there? Including silly things like git?

PaulHoule 3y ago
For one thing, feed back absolutely anything you can from the job description.
jollyllama 3y ago
Yeah, for any given application, you probably have to have the right buzzword density. I remember hearing about cases where the applicant's resume address was factored in; distance from the office was valued negatively. Personally I don't enjoy this game and I try to use other strategies besides cold applications.
throwaway019254 3y ago
You are not passing the algorithm because you are not supposed to pass it. If you are going to be just blindly sending your resume to the system, nobody will ever reply to you. What you do: 1. Find a company you want to join with an open position. 2. Create a profile on LinkedIn and nicely fill your profile. 3. Find a recruiter that works for this specific company and send them a direct message. This needs to be a recruiter working directly for this company. You need to approach them and ask for an interview. Companies have multiple recruiters so if one recruiter is not responding, you can contact another. This way you will skip the algorithm. And if you can't find a recruiter, there will be definitely an engineering manager you can contact. That works sometimes too. I used this method about a year ago and was successful 9 out of 10 times. I also tried blindly sending my resume about 5 years ago and got a reply only for 1 out of 100 applications.
- idoh 3y ago
  Thank you for writing this comment so I didn’t have to. As an additional piece, customize the resume to the job description as much as possible.
- hoofhearted 3y ago
  What’s the best way to find recruiters for these companies?
  - idoh 3y ago
    Look them up on linked in or google the jd for reposts
brudgers 3y ago
Talking to someone you know at the company is the best way to get a job in a big organization. Getting hired from a university campus visit is the second best way. My suspicion is that showing up at the front desk in person is probably the third best way at this point (after submitting online) because online applications are designed to deal with the problem of too many qualified applicants. Sure online application processes wade through the morasses of 40,000 unqualified applicants a day. But the hard problem is 1000 qualified applicants a week modulo labor law for a position that will probably be filled via hiring someone who already knows someone at the company... ...or an industrial competitor/peer. And if your resume is being word searched it would make sense to search for business names in the work history section of resumes. Because the standard for a factual claims about past employers is clearer than the standard for factual claims regarding experience with a particular technology. So anyway, put on business attire, shine your shoes, put some printed copies in a file folder, walk in, and say "I would like to talk to someone about a job." Then you can meet some people at the company. Good luck.
- hoofhearted 3y ago
  Do you think I can actually show up in person to T. Rowe Price, and lay out my case why we should be together to the front desk? Lol
  - brudgers 3y ago
    There's no case to be made. Just the fact that you are you and you are looking for a job. And there's a person there to tell and that person has a name and now you know someone there. And they know that you are looking for a job and so you have made it past the automatic keyword screen. Anyway, if you are case making you have locked the gatekeeper into their gatekeeping role and cast yourself as schmuck off the street. You want to have a cup of coffee with your new friend. Not an argument.
    - hoofhearted 3y ago
      I just feel like engineers don’t get noticed by serious operations by showing up to the front desk on the ground floor of a 40 story tower.

PaulHoule 3y ago

For one thing, feed back absolutely anything you can from the job description.

jollyllama 3y ago

Yeah, for any given application, you probably have to have the right buzzword density. I remember hearing about cases where the applicant's resume address was factored in; distance from the office was valued negatively. Personally I don't enjoy this game and I try to use other strategies besides cold applications.

throwaway019254 3y ago

You are not passing the algorithm because you are not supposed to pass it. If you are going to be just blindly sending your resume to the system, nobody will ever reply to you. What you do: 1. Find a company you want to join with an open position. 2. Create a profile on LinkedIn and nicely fill your profile. 3. Find a recruiter that works for this specific company and send them a direct message. This needs to be a recruiter working directly for this company. You need to approach them and ask for an interview. Companies have multiple recruiters so if one recruiter is not responding, you can contact another. This way you will skip the algorithm. And if you can't find a recruiter, there will be definitely an engineering manager you can contact. That works sometimes too. I used this method about a year ago and was successful 9 out of 10 times. I also tried blindly sending my resume about 5 years ago and got a reply only for 1 out of 100 applications.

idoh 3y ago
Thank you for writing this comment so I didn’t have to. As an additional piece, customize the resume to the job description as much as possible.
hoofhearted 3y ago
What’s the best way to find recruiters for these companies?
- idoh 3y ago
  Look them up on linked in or google the jd for reposts

brudgers 3y ago

Talking to someone you know at the company is the best way to get a job in a big organization. Getting hired from a university campus visit is the second best way. My suspicion is that showing up at the front desk in person is probably the third best way at this point (after submitting online) because online applications are designed to deal with the problem of too many qualified applicants. Sure online application processes wade through the morasses of 40,000 unqualified applicants a day. But the hard problem is 1000 qualified applicants a week modulo labor law for a position that will probably be filled via hiring someone who already knows someone at the company... ...or an industrial competitor/peer. And if your resume is being word searched it would make sense to search for business names in the work history section of resumes. Because the standard for a factual claims about past employers is clearer than the standard for factual claims regarding experience with a particular technology. So anyway, put on business attire, shine your shoes, put some printed copies in a file folder, walk in, and say "I would like to talk to someone about a job." Then you can meet some people at the company. Good luck.

hoofhearted 3y ago
Do you think I can actually show up in person to T. Rowe Price, and lay out my case why we should be together to the front desk? Lol
- brudgers 3y ago
  There's no case to be made. Just the fact that you are you and you are looking for a job. And there's a person there to tell and that person has a name and now you know someone there. And they know that you are looking for a job and so you have made it past the automatic keyword screen. Anyway, if you are case making you have locked the gatekeeper into their gatekeeping role and cast yourself as schmuck off the street. You want to have a cup of coffee with your new friend. Not an argument.
  - hoofhearted 3y ago
    I just feel like engineers don’t get noticed by serious operations by showing up to the front desk on the ground floor of a 40 story tower.