Not even an auto reply

I have 14 years of editorial experience, and I would be perfect for this job. Despite two resumes sent, I haven't even received a "thank you for applying" auto reply. What is the deal with this company. I am getting many other inquiries, so I do not feel it is my resume.

I had a difference experience. I received an email urging me to apply. Once I applied, the recruiter was very helpful. I explained I would have offers by the end of the week and though I was interested I wasn't sure if I could squeeze the interview in before the offers came in. They scheduled an early interview and also appeared extremely excited about the prospect of meeting me. Their level of enthusiasm has made a huge difference.

editor du jour said: I have 14 years of editorial experience, and I would be perfect for this job. Despite two resumes sent, I haven't even received a "thank you for applying" auto reply. What is the deal with this company. I am getting many other inquiries, so I do not feel it is my resume.

There are two ways to get your resume looked at: get a recruiter to handle it (they charge the company, not you) or go through Linked In dot com and find someone on the inside who can deliver your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager.

One way to make sure you don't get even considered these days, with the job market being what it is, is to apply online. Your application, resume and all, goes into what the high-tech world referrers to as the bit bucket - it's trashed.

editor du jour said: I have 14 years of editorial experience, and I would be perfect for this job. Despite two resumes sent, I haven't even received a "thank you for applying" auto reply. What is the deal with this company. I am getting many other inquiries, so I do not feel it is my resume.

Art Kautz said:
There are two ways to get your resume looked at: get a recruiter to handle it (they charge the company, not you) or go through Linked In dot com and find someone on the inside who can deliver your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager.
One way to make sure you don't get even considered these days, with the job market being what it is, is to apply online. Your application, resume and all, goes into what the high-tech world referrers to as the bit bucket - it's trashed.

The only problem with LinkedIn dot com is that if you do not know anyone already and have their email address, you cannot network or make contact. It is unfortunate not be able to connect with people of the same ilk.

Why do you think the company is obligated to answer you? You might have a sense of entitlement that you shouldn't. No one owes you anything. Why don't you show some initiative and CALL THEM?

Art Kautz in Denver, Colorado said: There are two ways to get your resume looked at: get a recruiter to handle it (they charge the company, not you) or go through Linked In dot com and find someone on the inside who can deliver your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager.

One way to make sure you don't get even considered these days, with the job market being what it is, is to apply online. Your application, resume and all, goes into what the high-tech world referrers to as the bit bucket - it's trashed.

Although this is common sense, many people may not realize this. Thanks.

Curt in Denver, Colorado said: Why do you think the company is obligated to answer you? You might have a sense of entitlement that you shouldn't. No one owes you anything. Why don't you show some initiative and CALL THEM?

Companies tell you straight out that they do not want calls. When you do call they tell you that they do not answer job inquiries over the phone. When you e-mail questions you do not get responses.

They just keep recruiting and recruiting for the same positions. I've sent several responses and get very encouraging "you're just perfect for us" email responses back which I take the time to respond to for nothing. Their recruiting practices are horrible and rude. Cross them off your list.

Well, I disagree about online resumes. 95% of jobs listed online what you to click on the botton that says apply now. Then they are screened before they are passed up the ladder to the decision makers, if you make it to the top you have an opportunity to get the job.

Art Kautz in Denver, Colorado said: There are two ways to get your resume looked at: get a recruiter to handle it (they charge the company, not you) or go through Linked In dot com and find someone on the inside who can deliver your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager.

One way to make sure you don't get even considered these days, with the job market being what it is, is to apply online. Your application, resume and all, goes into what the high-tech world referrers to as the bit bucket - it's trashed.

Linda to Linda
Sorry it is late at night and my typing is awful

Do not use agencies! Apply direct!!!

Curt in Denver, Colorado said: Why do you think the company is obligated to answer you? You might have a sense of entitlement that you shouldn't. No one owes you anything. Why don't you show some initiative and CALL THEM?

Ok, first the attitude doesn't help here. The other issue is that many times a prospective employer may put "DO NOT CALL" on their ad. Even IF you decide not to listen to their request for no calls, they will either not give you a name or tell you that they will not take your call.
When someone is out of work, they CAN get desperate, but if a company won't take your calls then you can't force them. It's crazy, but that is how it is.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Curt in Denver, Colorado: Why do you think the company is obligated to answer you? You might have a sense of entitlement that you shouldn't. No one owes you anything."

It's not a matter Of entitlement. It's a matter of professionalism and common courtesy.

"Why don't you show some initiative and CALL THEM?"

Because it would probably antagonize them. For all you know, they track candidates who call and blackball them because they did call.

I AGREE, IT IS A MATTER OF COMMON COURTESY AND PROFESSIONALISM, WHICH IS SORELY LACKING WITH THOMSON

I find the Internet a productive tool in terms of getting phone interviews. I am NOT convinced that online job applications necessarily end up in the "bit basket."

I have had phone interviews with very large companies as a result of responding to their Internet job postings. Some examples are: GE, General Mills, Kellogg Company, and Eli Lilly just to name a few. If there ever was an opportunity to get lost in the candidate review process, it would likely be with a large company.

I have not had much success working with recruiters to find job opportunites, although a few have arranged interviews for me.

Bob in Michigan in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan said: I find the Internet a productive tool in terms of getting phone interviews. I am NOT convinced that online job applications necessarily end up in the "bit basket."

I have had phone interviews with very large companies as a result of responding to their Internet job postings. Some examples are: GE, General Mills, Kellogg Company, and Eli Lilly just to name a few. If there ever was an opportunity to get lost in the candidate review process, it would likely be with a large company.

I have not had much success working with recruiters to find job opportunites, although a few have arranged interviews for me.

Ah yes, Mitt Romney's home town!!! (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan). Yes, I agree in GOING DIRECT to the company's website. Even if they don't have any postings, there is usually a way to contact them. It also shows initiative. And be sure to TAILOR your resume and cover letter to the specific job. I would advise people not to waste their precious time with agencies. They won't find you anything and then they'll accuse you of "being out of work too long!"

Are there any present or former Thomson employees looking at these posts? How would you recommend getting into editorial there? I have an M.A. in English with teaching and marketing experience, but no publishing experience. Is low level copy-editing the best way in if you lack industry experience?

I applied for a Michigan position at the online site, had an initial phone interview that ended with the promise of a later interview, then nothing. When I finally got back in touch with the in-house recruiter who gave me the screening interview, she dismissed me and said the company would be in touch. That was some months ago.

I had a phone interview with Thomson Healthcare back on June 5. I have not heard back from them, nor have I followed-up with them.

I am not knowledgeable enough about Thomson to advise you on capturing an editorial position there. The position I interviewed for was a finance professional position.

Dave in Madison Heights, Michigan said: Are there any present or former Thomson employees looking at these posts? How would you recommend getting into editorial there? I have an M.A. in English with teaching and marketing experience, but no publishing experience. Is low level copy-editing the best way in if you lack industry experience?

I applied for a Michigan position at the online site, had an initial phone interview that ended with the promise of a later interview, then nothing. When I finally got back in touch with the in-house recruiter who gave me the screening interview, she dismissed me and said the company would be in touch. That was some months ago.

You might want to try freelance writing and editing rather than low level copy-editing. I am a freelancer just now beginning to look for full-time staff jobs, and I know a fair number of other writers and editors - even those without degrees - who were able to make the jump from freelancing to full-time employment. The key is making connections, which are very easy to make as a freelance writer/editor, especially if you utilize websites such as Freelance Success, Media Bistro, etc.

Thanks for the reply, Holly. I've wondered about freelancing and I'm glad to know it's a viable option for gaining meaningful experience in the field. I'll check those websites.

I have been in HR for 15 years and am currently an HR Director in Michigan. I have worked for large, nationwide companies, mid-size companies, and small companies.

Here's some advice for all of you:
(1) If a job is advertised online, chances are the online submissions WILL be reviewed.
(2) It is a myth that you have to know someone at a company to be hired. At best, a resume handed to me by a VALUABLE employee will at least be looked at (Have you considered the effect of being referred by a less than stellar employee?).
(3) A company is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of your resume. The company does not work for you, and you do not work for the company. If a company is interested, they will contact you.
(4) DO NOT CALL and ask if your resume has been received! At best, this is pointless; at worst, it is annoying. A company's HR is not your personal career counselor. We generally do not have time to chat with you about where/how your skills might fit in with our needs.
(5) With every job posting, I am bombarded with resumes. Multiply this by 8-15 open positions, and you can imagine the amount of resumes my dept. receives on a daily basis. In addition, recruitment is usually just one portion of an HR person's duties. Time is of the essence.

Certain things will surely knock you out of the running - try to avoid these common pitfalls:

- Poor grammar; spelling.
- Not clearly stating what position you're applying for (again, we often have dozens of open positions - no one has time to analyze your resume to figure out what you might have been applying for!)
- Poor format. If your resume is not easy to read, no one will read it. Send a copy to yourself so that you can see firsthand what it looks like to a recipient.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to all of you!

I applied to a job with Thomson, never heard from them, then a month later, got an e-mail stating that the exact same position was open again. This time, I didn't apply again, but a recruiter from a different state called me to set up an interview. At the interview, I was told that my experience did not match the position even though the recruiter had specifically told me otherwise. I was very disatisfied with this company's misleading postings and recruiters.

Tara in Bronx, New York said: I applied to a job with Thomson, never heard from them, then a month later, got an e-mail stating that the exact same position was open again. This time, I didn't apply again, but a recruiter from a different state called me to set up an interview. At the interview, I was told that my experience did not match the position even though the recruiter had specifically told me otherwise. I was very disatisfied with this company's misleading postings and recruiters.

Well, my guess is that the problem is that you are dealing with human resources looking for one-to-one match of skills to job requirement (many do not have technical skills to make inferences). The first time probably a human resources staff went through your resume and did not see many direct one-to-one match betwen required skills and your skills (e.g. if you place solaris on your resume they may not know its a form of UNIX, hence you know UNIX.) The recruiter probably realized you were skilled based on having a little technical knowledge from dealing with many technical job seekers so arranged the interview. Then you went back to the human resources with the problem I said before. Sometimes you cannot do anything about poor means of recruitment. However, my suggestion would be to polish your resume to mention things commonly used in your field. For example if you are a C++ programmers do not forget to mention MFC and .NET if you use these platforms/technologies.

Joslyn in Michigan said: I have been in HR for 15 years and am currently an HR Director in Michigan. I have worked for large, nationwide companies, mid-size companies, and small companies.

Joslyn,
Thanks so much for your input. It is very helpful. As someone looking for a job though, I think the type of job one is applying for would make a difference as to how they should approach a prospective employer. I myself am a seasoned salesperson and experience tells me that follow up is crucial.

I am VERY systematic as to how I look for employment. I customize my cover letter to match the job I am applying for. I personalize it to the individual I am sending it to--if that information is obtainable. I also take the time to include the address and name of the company I am applying for--if I can find that information. I also track each and every job I have submitted a resume for. I do this using a spreadsheet.

Once per week, I follow up with the companies and call them to see where they are in the process as well as to see if I am in the running for the job. I then make notes on my spreadsheet and change the date of the last contact.

The response to my calls has been very positive. My take would be that if a company is looking for a salesperson, they should expect the potential salesperson to follow up and "close the sale."

Speaking of closing the sale--does your company have anything in Indianapolis???

Have a great day!

I am a current recruiter for Thomson.
I enjoyed reading all the input from the above candidates.
Let me assure you that while we do use an applicant tracking system, we will contact the most qualified candidate and set up an interview.
You must remeber that we handle tens of thousands of resumes a month and we can only deal with the ones that we are contacting to set up for interviews.
Not getting interviews? Check your resume, re-write it.
Still not getting interviews? Check the "qualifications". Are you qualified in every aspect?
If not, then you probably won't be contacted as we are conatcting the 10 other candidates that are qualified.
Social networking is good but only if you have the qualifications to work in the position that you are applying for.
We do behavioral based interviewing so if you have not read the book" Landing The Job that You Want" by William Byham, then you have not been prepared well enough to interview for any company.

[QUOTE who="Pablo the Recruiter]I am a current recruiter for Thomson. I enjoyed reading all the input from the above candidates... ...Are you qualified in every aspect? You probably won't be contacted as we are conatcting the 10 other candidates that are qualified... ...if you have not read the book" Landing The Job that You Want" by William Byham, then you have not been prepared well enough to interview for any company.

Pablo,
It's good & encouraging to see someone "from Thomson" is actually reading these posts. I did not know you all did that.

Frustration & desperation tend to set in when one is looking at keeping a roof over their head, food on the table, & something in the savings account. That is clearly evident in this particular string of posts. I spend 8-12 hours per day looking for new employment. (Try reading basically the same job description blah-blah over & over again for 8-12 hours, HA!)

I have some 80+ resumes out there right now. I could have sent so many more, but I am just as specific about the jobs I apply for as you are about the candidates you seek. I imagine that out of those 80+ opportunities, I would have no problem excelling in at least 90% of them. The issue I face--as a salesperson--is that if a company is looking for someone to sell their "underwater basket-weaving service" they only want people experienced in "underwater basket-weaving sales."

Let's be honest here--from a sales perspective--there are only so many sales models out there. It's just a matter of learning the product and/or service & applying the proper sales model to be successful. Any bright, intelligent, & motivated salesperson can learn quickly, apply the sales model that fits, take the ball & run with it.

Also, thanks for the info about Byham's book. While your verbiage is moderately rude, the point is well taken. I will try to take some valuable time from my job search to read it.

My apologies if you think that my verbiage is moderately rude, that is not my point .
I do see how your with your frustration of having over 80 resumes out you can intepret it that way.

I also agree that any bright qualified sales professional would have no problem excelling in any sales environment.
The real questions is how many sales environments have you excelled in?
Do you have more than 5 sales jobs in the past 10 years?
Do you have any historical , verifiable sales quota attainment metrics on your resume?
To be honest, Thomson looks for sales professionals that have sold into the markets that they are in, whether it be Legal, Tax and Accounting, Scientific, Healthcare of the Financial markets.
What you sold into the business does not matter, but who you sold in the business does matter.
With a solid understanding and contacts in the market, we can teach you the product or services rather quickly.

When you read the book I suggested, you will quickly see that recruiters want to see what you have done in the past,with a specific situation, the action that you took and the specific outcome that you received.
What you want to do, what you imagine you can do and what you hope to accomplish have no bearing in the recruiting process.
Please don't kill the messenger, I am only here to provide you with brutal honesty in hopes that you can gain meaningful employment and prosper.

By the way, Thomson is poised for tremendous growth as our 17.5 billion dollar acquisition of Reuters will position us as a leader in wordwide Information software and Services.

A responce to Pablo the Recruiter and other HR folks. I think the issue that you hear being talked around here is that in looking for exact "fit" to qualifications means that manny companies lose the opportunity to draw in new talent and thinking, while it procludes good talent from opportunities into which they could grow and bring new ideas.

Typical for my company: Large Fortune 100 firm. We grow like you through acquisition. But fail in organic growth. Desired synergies do not appear, topline growth is flat, we downsize, streamline and cut costs (i.e. people) to grow bottom line profits and earnings per share. Then, having cut to far we hire again: only I amm only allowed to hire to the qualifications and skills that we fired. Basically I fire people for failing to generate growth, then re-hire that exact same skill set. Result, lack of growth. We get skills, but in people that are managers, not growers.

Ask your self when was the last time yoou hired a territory sales grower? and when was the last time you looked for a sales manager. Growth is a perspective of seizing the unknown, managemennt is optimizing wwithin fixed constraints.

Do you really seek entreprenuers and people that can grow a business. Or do you seek skills that can function in a dependancy model. Probably the latter. Unfair to the share holders and unfair to the existing employees that deserve growth leadership. As HR you should be fighting us, management to stretch to gain new blood. all the book tells you is how to succeed in getting a dependancy model job.

For your sake I hope all goes well with the merger. Sales is the last to get cut. HR and other backroom G&A is the first to go. Hope you have been hiring growers not managers.

Nun Ur Biz in Chicago, Illinois said: Companies tell you straight out that they do not want calls. When you do call they tell you that they do not answer job inquiries over the phone. When you e-mail questions you do not get responses.

best solution - take it as a no, and move on to something better. No use trying to get into a company whose actions/policies are already wearing you out.

No offense Pablo, but I think it's premature to say "our acquisition of Reuters." Yes, that would be a powerhouse combination, but the deal is far from done, and faces a slew of anti-trust issues here and in Europe.

The Guy to Hire! in Indianapolis, Indiana said: [QUOTE who="Pablo the Recruiter]I am a current recruiter for Thomson. I enjoyed reading all the input from the above candidates... ...Are you qualified in every aspect? You probably won't be contacted as we are conatcting the 10 other candidates that are qualified... ...if you have not read the book" Landing The Job that You Want" by William Byham, then you have not been prepared well enough to interview for any company.

Pablo,
It's good & encouraging to see someone "from Thomson" is actually reading these posts. I did not know you all did that.

Frustration & desperation tend to set in when one is looking at keeping a roof over their head, food on the table, & something in the savings account. That is clearly evident in this particular string of posts. I spend 8-12 hours per day looking for new employment. (Try reading basically the same job description blah-blah over & over again for 8-12 hours, HA!)

I have some 80+ resumes out there right now.

Seriously, please let me know if you'd like me to review your resume. I am very good at it! Maybe that's keeping you from the job you want? Maybe, maybe not? Can you do anything besides sales?

report in Milton, Wisconsin said: A responce to Pablo the Recruiter and other HR folks. I think the issue that you hear being talked around here is that in looking for exact "fit" to qualifications means that manny companies lose the opportunity to draw in new talent and thinking, while it procludes good talent from opportunities into which they could grow and bring new ideas.

Typical for my company: Large Fortune 100 firm. We grow like you through acquisition. But fail in organic growth. Desired synergies do not appear, topline growth is flat, we downsize, streamline and cut costs (i.e. people) to grow bottom line profits and earnings per share. Then, having cut to far we hire again: only I amm only allowed to hire to the qualifications and skills that we fired. Basically I fire people for failing to generate growth, then re-hire that exact same skill set. Result, lack of growth. We get skills, but in people that are managers, not growers.

Ask your self when was the last time yoou hired a territory sales grower? and when was the last time you looked for a sales manager. Growth is a perspective of seizing the unknown, managemennt is optimizing wwithin fixed constraints.

Do you really seek entreprenuers and people that can grow a business. Or do you seek skills that can function in a dependancy model. Probably the latter. Unfair to the share holders and unfair to the existing employees that deserve growth leadership. As HR you should be fighting us, management to stretch to gain new blood. all the book tells you is how to succeed in getting a dependancy model job.

********
Wow, I'm impressed at your understanding of the idiotic lack of psychology of the current HR and recruiting process!!

I've always felt that recruiters are only looking for 'exact matches' without giving someone without EXACT experience a chance! Skills ARE TRANSFERRABLE EMPLOYERS! DO YOU HEAR THAT? It's the LAZY way of recruiting -- matching frigging key words!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anne in Denver, Colorado said:

I wasn't "yelling" at you -- ! Just the stupid EMPLOYERS! :) :)

I just read that Colorado unemployment is currently 4.5%. Nationally it is about 5%.

These numbers don't tell anything though!

Our country has many college educated "overqualified" people working way below their potential. One restaurant in the area has many waiters with Masters degrees because they can earn more waiting tables!

A figure that would be very useful is "how many employees are UNDER employed?" In other words, earning $10 an hour There are just too many highly educated people in the U.S. for the available jobs. Our economy is unfortunately becoming more and more service based. Guess what? The service sector is the LOWEST paying sector on the economic scale.

We need government that helps our economy -- not lets large companies such as CitiCorp be bought out by foreign companies!

Pablo the Recruiter in Minneapolis, Minnesota said:
We do behavioral based interviewing so if you have not read the book" Landing The Job that You Want" by William Byham, then you have not been prepared well enough to interview for any company.

I interviewed for a position with Thomson Reuters and they do use the STARs approach of questions found in this book.
Situation: give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome

Task: describe the tasks involved in that situation

Action: talk about the various actions involved in the situation’s task

Results: what results directly followed because of your actions

After you intervew on the phone with a recruiter from the Thomson office, then expect a scheduled interview at the location from the hiring manager(s). If you do not hired they will call you the next week and let you know, but will not tell you the reasons per corporate policy.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Curt in Denver, Colorado: Why do you think the company is obligated to answer you? You might have a sense of entitlement that you shouldn't. No one owes you anything."

It's not a matter Of entitlement. It's a matter of professionalism and common courtesy.

"Why don't you show some initiative and CALL THEM?"

Because it would probably antagonize them. For all you know, they track candidates who call and blackball them because they did call.

Thank yooooou! As for thank you letters.....
Pfft! As usual D.L.P you are on point.
Peace