You spend hours seeking out job leads, crafting the perfect resume, and proofreading it again and again. Then you submit it…only to wait, wait and wait some more. What gives – and what exactly happens to your resume after you hit the “send” button?
Your resume is screened.
As experienced healthcare IT recruiters, Morgan Hunter Healthcare can tell you that when it comes to how resumes are screened, it often depends on the size of the company:
- Most hospitals and large to mid-size clinics use applicant tracking software (ATS). This is technology that relies on keywords and phrases to filter out resumes from unqualified candidates. If your resume is deemed a match by the ATS, it’s then passed along to a recruiter, HR associate or the hiring manager for further review.
- At smaller companies, a person screens the resume first. Typically, it’s either someone from the HR department or the hiring manager for the position being advertised. If the company is working with a recruiter or staffing agency, they will handle the screening process.
When your resume is reviewed by a person, it’s scanned quickly. Some recruiters and hiring managers report spending less than 10 seconds on each resume. Others put that number closer to 45. But the bottom line is that resume screening is just that – a quick review to evaluate whether you’re qualified for the job.
You might not think that’s enough time to get a sense of a candidate’s background and experience. But keep this in mind: employers and recruiters often receive hundreds of applications for one single job opening. As a result, they can’t spend 10 minutes on every resume. There’s simply not enough time in the hiring process.
So what comes next?
You either make it to the shortlist…or you don’t.
After the initial scan, a shortlist is often created of candidates that made the cut. These resumes are given further scrutiny to ensure they’re the right fit and that candidates have the necessary qualifications for the job. If your resume doesn’t meet the company’s requirements, you might receive a generic email thanking you for your submission; or you might receive nothing at all. However, if you make it through this point in the process, you’ll likely get a call or email for a phone screen or interview.
Each company is different when it comes to the final candidate pool they decide to interview. For some organizations, three or four candidates is enough; others bring in 10 to 12 to interview. It simply depends on the company and the position they’re hiring for.
Now that you know what goes into the screening process, you can hopefully produce a resume that’s as effective as possible. But if you need some help with the process – or with finding a job in healthcare IT – connect with Morgan Hunter Healthcare. We know what hospitals are looking for in healthcare IT professionals and on their resumes. Simply contact us today to get started or learn more.