A month ago, I mentioned an interesting job opportunity to an unemployed friend. Imagine my surprise last Thursday when she told me that she finally submitted her application.
When I asked why it took her so long to apply for the job that was posted nearly four weeks earlier, my procrastinating friend explained that she wanted to tweak her resume, plus she also claimed resumes get lost in the initial influx of applications. “Better to stand out later in the process,” she said.
So, I decided to test her hypothesis by asking some top recruiters when they find most of the talent they advance to interviews. Recruiters, indeed, confirm most applications are received shortly after posting, then trickle in over the next several weeks. Still, all indicate you increase your chances of being considered if you apply promptly after the initial posting.
Recruiter Tina Dugas of Bloom, Gross & Associates confirms your resume has the best chance at being considered if it is in the initial batch received. “Rule of thumb would be to definitely respond sooner than later.”
Agreeing with the “don’t wait” philosophy is former Edelman recruiter Travis Kessel who now heads recruiting at online retailer Jet.com.
“There is a solid chance that the recruiter will find a few qualified folks and push them through the process first, holding off on looking at others who apply so not to murky the waters of the process,” Travis says.
Chris Mordi at recruiting firm Paladin confirms most resumes arrive early in the posting process, while others trickle in over the following month. “If someone is serious about finding a new job, that person needs to stay on top of the postings in LinkedIn, CareerBuilder and Indeed,” Chris advises. “The best thing to do is apply immediately.”
This is exactly what I needed to read right now, thank you! I will be graduating from college in the upcoming months and have already began my job search. Therefore knowing through this article and the recruiters quotes you included to back it up now has me wanting to apply ASAP when I see my next desired job listing. Great post!
Hi
My name is Nnenna Ekemezie from Southeast Missouri State University. I’m a senior majoring in Public relations with a minor in Human resource management. I have always wondered which applicant have the higher chances of being called for an interview. Those who apply immediately a job is posted, or those who apply close to the deadline. After reading your post, it helped clarify that for me. I have a few questions related to resume.
What are your thoughts on an applicants’ address being listed on their resume?
In one of my HR course, my professor told us all the pros and cons of stating our address and graduation date on our resume. From an employees’ point of view, we talked about the possible limitations involved on how an employer is easily discouraged from scheduling an interview with a qualified candidate if the applicant is from out of state.
I would use my personal experience as an example. Sometime last month, I came across a PR job position in Dallas that was posted online. With my mindset of being willing to relocate for the right job I applied for the job by submitting my resume and a cover letter as required. Two weeks later I got an email from the company, letting me know that I qualified for the job, but unfortunately they were only looking to interview people from the Dallas area and not from out of state. Although they told me to feel free to visit the office anytime I’m in the Dallas area.
I plan on relocating from Missouri state prior to my graduation in December, before then while in-between job hunting should I erase my current address from my resume for other future job application?