It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you manipulate the system…
Unless companies and teams in charge of hiring create an honest and highly efficient process, a lot of hiring practices are to the applicant’s disadvantage.
People don’t work at what they love or what they’re passionate about (or whatever other propaganda they ask you to circle jerk hiring teams about). People work for only ONE reason, and that is:
To make money so they have food and shelter, and their other needs met.
Real people don’t care about “creating value” and “shareholders.” Those are just terms we use to avoid being ostracized for not using corporate speak to cater to business egos.
The fact that it is possible to find work you enjoy and believe in is definitely a wonderful plus! But it isn’t the main reason why people “want” to give up their irreplaceable time.
No one wants to give up their limited resources to hustle for someone else’s capitalist goals. Unless they’re some kind of sub, I guess. 🤔
In my experience, toxic hiring practices exist because unskilled or insecure management only cares about standardization of process to avoid accountability wherever possible. Such is life in these litigious times, unfortunately. 🙄
So any advantage people can take to provide themselves with what they need to survive, I’m all for…
There were times that I applied to jobs listing all of my experience and success metrics, even sharing overlapping jobs—because I felt it was a good thing to show off how much I was capable of. Especially since I work 100% remote.
But most times, all I did was get the 3rd degree about why or how I could pOsSibLy manage to work at multiple jobs and still produce results at the “main” job. I don’t even believe in a main job, my business is my main activity, and any other employment I get is a side gig even if it’s a full time salaried one. Or they’d ask how did none of my previous jobs have a problem with it, etc.
Hiring managers and even other recruiters would demand I stop my own business if I were to work for them, and either I lied that I would, or told them I would never stop running my own business. All they had to concern themselves with were the results I would bestow upon their business goals—of which I had many recommendations and referrals to vouch for.
But debating that with hiring teams was a total waste of time and energy. They want to see things fit in a particular box, and that’s all they can fathom. You can’t logic your way through someone else’s ignorance and stubbornly antiquated practices.
So I switched up my tactics, and got results in the form of interviews and job offers:
In my first comparison test, for all jobs I was previously rejected for at the application stage even though I was fully qualified, I made a few edits to my resume and LI profile, and then reapplied to those same jobs.
Miraculously, I would usually get an interview a few hours to a few days after reapplying.
The main changes I made:
1. DEFLATED my experience
Example, for a job that required 8 years of my specific background, I said I had 4 years experience. I mean, I still had all the experience they DID want (and some), I just didn’t divulge everything else.
They make assumptions all the time about why you want the job or how long you’ll stay with them based on “mainstream” career trajectories.
Take that ability away from them.
Otherwise hiring teams and recruiters assume you’re “overqualfied” and don’t give you a chance. It’s not up to them what type of work you’re overqualified for if you’re capable and willing to do it.
What do they even know about your specific situation and desires?
Also, in most of my experience, employers have hated to see my own business or contract jobs listed on my resume, especially when it clearly overlapped with other jobs (regardless of whether it was in the same industry or not).
There is still a huge bias against contractors and business owners. Hate it, but it’s real.
2. Created ALL NEW contact information
Make new phone numbers and emails so that the application doesn’t show up as a duplicate in their system.
Using the same contact information on an application is how it gets parsed in the ATS as the same account/submission, which can get rejected again.
BONUS:
Change your name slightly if you don’t mind being called something else. Example: if your name is “Ariana Smith,” put “Ari S.” or just “Ari.”
Or even use a nickname. Or finally use the name you WISH your parents had named you! 😅
This doesn’t seem like much, but it’s amazing how lazy people are when screening applications. So often they don’t even catch this kind of change since so many people have the same or similar names.
I started doing this years ago before they ever started adding the option to include your “preferred name” in applications. Now that the option caught up, take advantage of it.
(And even though it isn’t a legal name change, IT would always honor my preferred name in the company email naming convention)
Nothing matters, do what you want. Just get ready and used to answering to a sound you haven’t been used to responding to. You get used to it. 🤣
You only need to provide your legal name, SSN, and true info when it comes to filling out their official application for work authorization verification, background checks, and onboarding anyway.
I personally never give my full name or real number or city of residence upfront. Back when I used to work onsite, I would only provide the county I lived in so they knew if it would be realistic for me for commuting purposes.
Otherwise, if they wanted all that information, they had to engage with me and interview first.
3. REMOVED graduation dates
Most people assume that graduates finish college around 20-21 years old, even if that’s not always the case.
Remove dates and all of a sudden they think they’re interviewing someone more “trainable” and frEsH oUt oF sChOoL.
Read as: younger and easier to mold and/or train on their personal preferences.
This one is technically unwinnable though, because ageism in all directions is still a very real problem. 🤬
Ava Loreimy 