Dear Sam helps a parent understand his daughter’s job search in today’s market

Dear Sam: I am a parent trying to understand my daughter’s job search. It has been 42 years since I sought my first job so things have changed. She passed the Ohio nursing board exam two months ago. She received a Bachelors degree in Biology (pre-med) a year ago. She had three years as an LPN in a Cleveland hospital. In two months she has had only one interview. I am concerned. I asked her why she does not go door-to-door, get in peoples faces and let them see her. She tells me that there are no longer any doors, just e-mail addresses. She tells me there are no longer faces, but services that process résumés. There is no one to personally impress. She tells me that appearance, personality, charisma and attitude are not factors in the résumé process. She tells me it is a matter of what you have in the résumé and what "matches" with what the search engine is looking for! Help me out with the above. Is the process this impersonal? I am beginning to doubt how serious her search is, or who knows what. I am confused. Could you please inform a frustrated parent what the job market is like and how does someone break into this job market. Thanks. — One Confused Parent

Dear One Confused Parent: Your daughter is correct in that there are very few ways to sell yourself in person before you have secured an interview. Her résumé does have to market her credentials and experiences in a manner that it produces the most "hits" based on the relevancy of her background to the position in question. Her résumé however can and should be infused with personality, something that can help differentiate her from other candidates. To do this, be sure the résumé uses engaging words, a format that is aesthetically pleasing and possibly even incorporates an image to engage the reader further. An effective résumé starts with great content, something that can overcome the obstacles of a screening process that is often impersonal. She can use her cover letter to add additional personality to her job search portfolio, communicate her charisma and attitude, and of course, her passion for the medical field. She may also want to make sure she is being diligent in not only applying online but also sending printed copies of her résumé to gain additional much needed exposure in front of the hiring authority. This is often a strategy that is overlooked, but with only 10 seconds to grab the attention of a hiring manager, doubling your exposure for the price of a stamp (by emailing and mailing) can be very valuable. Going a step further by packaging your résumé in a nice paper folder and mailing with coordinated business cards and mailing labels, can go a long way to differentiating her as a self-starter who really wants the job. I wish you both much success during this stage of her career.