Job Search Tip: Circumvent Human Resources

Have you noticed that when you follow a job posting's instructions and submit your cover letter and resume to human resources management, you get this sinking feeling that your resume will never be read, much less considered for the position?

Every company has someone on its staff that carries out human resources-related management duties, someone responsible for helping the company hire the best people it can afford. Bigger companies have whole divisions dedicated to recruitment. These are often well-funded groups seemingly composed of people with expertise in hiring qualified candidates.

So why does it so often seem that dealing with human resources is a huge waste of time for serious job seekers?

The Trouble with Human Resources

Maybe human resource professionals lack sufficient content knowledge in the area for which they are hiring. I wonder, for example, how many HR professionals hiring programmers really understand the difference between C and C++, PHP, Python and HTML. Technical fields especially demand more than just a cursory knowledge of their modes of operation.

In their defense, I'm sure some HR management professionals do have expertise in the areas they are hiring. And I'm sure there are a good number that are competent in reviewing resumes in a more nuanced fashion. Maybe they do consider a person's writing skills and demonstrated relevant experience, over credentials from a college or certification program.

Career Management Tip

To avoid getting your resume lost in the abyss that so many human resources departments appear to be, I recommend sending your resume to human resources, as the job posting requests, but also to send it to the hiring manager, the person outside of HR, who is actually seeking to add a member to their team.

For every job I've applied to this way, I've received a call back asking for an interview. I didn't always get hired, but that was for unrelated reasons. At least the bureaucracy that is often human resources didn't keep my resume from landing on the desk of the right person.

So next time you're looking for a job, make sure you call the company directly, and try to get a name and address of the person who's actually doing the hiring. You'll improve your chances of getting noticed dramatically; in this job market, you need all the advantages you can get.