Recently, ResumeDoctor.com contacted over 5,000 recruiters and hiring managers throughout the US and Canada regarding the success of using online job postings.
Over 92% of those surveyed reported being inundated with irrelevant responses to their job postings. Most participants indicated that they receive hundreds of responses per online job posting.
Additional complaints included:
Majority of resumes do not match the job description. [71%]
Job seekers “blasting out” unsolicited resumes. [63%]
Job seekers fail to follow specific resume submission instructions found in job post. [34%]
Mike Worthington of ResumeDoctor.com explains that, “Most online job postings bury recruiters with literally hundreds of resumes. We found that candidates tend to cast a wide net in terms of what they apply to, with the hopes that someone will respond. The ease that job seekers can respond to postings online is now their greatest obstacle.” Mr. Worthington adds that, “Because of the number of resumes out there, recruiters must have a broad criteria to filter out resumes. It is not only imperative that the job seeker reads the job description, but has an easy to read resume.”
Steve Wenk, a recruiter for a castings manufacturer in Rothbury, Michigan, shared, “I received over 250 [resumes] for a recently completed quality manager opening. I give them a quick first look and print the ones that look good. Those that respond … without a professional looking resume don’t get much of a look.”
Roger Lopez, President of a Florida based staffing firm, states “We receive a lot of responses from online postings, but unfortunately 90% of them are not what we’re looking for – either the candidate does not spend time reading the job description … or is simply just applying hoping to see what chances they have.”
Matthew Bailey, a manager with Antal International, concedes: “If I have expressly stated that applicants need certain experience and their history bears no absolutely no relevance to this, then my initial sentiment is to just delete it from my in-box as a waste of time, and not to involve valuable admin resources in processing and then rejecting officially.”