Many people understand search overload.  We are talking about it in Bing commercials: that feeling of too many irrelevant search results.  I am hoping this community will have sympathy for my similar problem – recruiter search overload.  I read hundreds of resumes per week, looking for the best talent for Bing.  As part of my recruiting efforts, I also post jobs.  I try to be very diligent and scan all of the resumes submitted against my job posting, but I get worn out, especially when people apply who do not meet the requirements. 

 

Here’s an example: I currently have a role posted that requires a PhD. I reviewed four resumes yesterday submitted for that job, where the candidates only had a bachelors degree.  While I can sympathize with people try very hard to find jobs and applying to anything and everything that appeals to them, it slows me down in finding the right person for the job I have posted.  It is like turning up an irrelevant search result.  Now, before anyone gets upset, I am not saying that those four candidates who didn’t have PhD’s are irrelevant, they may very well be my dream candidate for another job.  I merely want to see them applying to the right jobs.  Of course I do my best to look at a resume and think about all the possible fits now or in the future, but I can only take in so much information at once.

 

If you’re a candidate looking for a job, apply to the ones you’re qualified for.  If you don’t see a job posted that matches your skill set, submit a resume without applying to a specific job. You can always use that resume to apply to the right job when it become available.  With a resume in the system, recruiters can now find you in the searches when the right job does open.