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Hey There!

Welcome to Issue #189 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Today's issue is brought to you by HubSpot! If you're a free subscriber and value our content, it costs $0 to support us by clicking the ad and checking out the service. Show our sponsor some love for supporting Jobseeking is Hard! Thanks!

Happy Wednesday!

One of the more frustrating parts of the job search is knowing you can do the job and never getting the chance to prove it.

Most candidates assume that if they're qualified, someone will eventually figure it out. The challenge is that hiring teams don't evaluate qualifications all at the same time. Before anyone is assessing your judgment, leadership ability, accomplishments, or depth of experience, someone usually has to decide whether you're worth spending more time on in the first place.

That first decision is often very different from the rest of the hiring process.

This week, I want to talk about why relevance matters more than qualifications during the application stage.

I'll also share how one Zoom Coaching client discovered that recruiters were drawing conclusions from their resume that had nothing to do with their actual ability to do the job.

This week we’re talking about:

• How recruiter screening actually works

• How recruiters can misinterpret your experience

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking the idea that candidates should never give a salary range

• Answering a Premium subscriber's question about being overqualified. I'll explain what hiring teams are really concerned about.

Let’s get to it!

GETTING SCREENED IN, NOT OUT

Most jobseekers assume the application stage is designed to identify the best candidate. It’s not. It’s designed to eliminate candidates who don't appear relevant enough to continue.

That may sound like the same thing, but it creates a very different evaluation process. Companies don't hire recruiters to determine who should receive offers. They hire recruiters to help narrow the field. By the time a hiring manager starts interviewing candidates, the organization wants a smaller group of people who already appear reasonably aligned with the role.

That's why recruiters and hiring managers often evaluate the same resume differently. A hiring manager can afford to spend time understanding nuance. They can appreciate transferable experience. They can explore how someone's background translates into their environment. They can ask follow-up questions and investigate whether a candidate's experience is more relevant than it initially appears.

That’s not what recruiters do. They're reviewing hundreds or thousands of applicants while supporting multiple openings simultaneously. They aren't trying to determine everything a candidate is capable of doing. They're trying to determine whether spending additional time on that candidate is justified.

That distinction explains a lot of hiring behavior that frustrates jobseekers.

Candidates frequently assume their strongest qualifications will eventually become obvious. They know how their experiences connect. They understand how one role prepared them for another. They understand why experience from a different industry is relevant. They understand why a career move made sense. The recruiter doesn't have access to any of that context. They have a document…and that document is being evaluated against a specific opening.

Experienced professionals often try to communicate everything they’re capable of. They include multiple specialties, multiple functions, and multiple directions they could potentially pursue. From their perspective, they're demonstrating versatility. From a recruiter's perspective, they're sometimes making it harder to identify exactly where the fit exists. A candidate might be capable of leading operations, managing teams, driving strategic initiatives, improving customer experience, and overseeing transformation projects. That's valuable…but that’s not the question being asked. The question is whether that experience appears relevant to the opening sitting in front of the recruiter at that moment.

Hiring managers can evaluate capability. Recruiters are usually evaluating alignment.

The frustrating part is that candidates often discover this too late. They spend their energy trying to prove how much they can do when the first hurdle is simply demonstrating why they belong in the conversation. Your experience may ultimately get you hired. But before that happens, someone has to decide you're worth interviewing. And at the application stage, relevance matters more than qualifications.

Have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming issue? Reply or email [email protected] and tell me what you want to know!

SHAMELESS PLUG

If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.

Who knows...maybe the problem isn't what you've done, but how it's being presented, just like this client. 🤷‍♂️

So how did I help this Zoom Coaching client get unstuck after 2 months?

When this client booked a coaching session, they were frustrated. They'd spent more than 15 years in their industry, were applying to roles they were qualified for, and after two months on the market weren't getting much traction. They were definitely experienced…the challenge was how that experience was being interpreted.

As we talked through their search, it became clear that recruiters were likely drawing conclusions that weren't true. The client was targeting individual contributor roles, but their title, scope, and overall positioning were making them appear significantly more senior than the jobs they wanted. Recruiters weren't asking whether this person could do the job…they were probably asking whether they'd stay in the job. Would they be bored? Would they leave after six months? Were they simply taking whatever they could find until something better came along? None of those assumptions were true.

Unfortunately, recruiter screening isn't based on what candidates mean. It's based on what recruiters infer.

We spent the session discussing how recruiters are evaluating resumes in this market, how quickly assumptions get made, and how small positioning choices can completely change how someone's background is interpreted. The goal was to make the relevance easier to see.

After the call, they updated their resume, refocused their search, and applied for a new role. After two months of hearing very little, they already had a phone interview scheduled.

Sometimes the difference between getting rejected and getting interviewed is making it easier for recruiters to understand why you're relevant.

If you’re feeling like your resume isn’t telling your story the way it should and don’t know how to frame your experience, our services can help. 

Curious what the process has been like for other clients? Check out our testimonials here!

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

Companies listing jobs as "remote" for "visibility" is the same energy as putting "$O - FREE" on Facebook Marketplace and then putting the real price in the description.

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

Today's issue is also brought to you by I Hate It Here! C’mon give it a click…it costs $0 and helps support your favorite job search newsletter 🙂

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PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

"Why am I getting rejected from jobs that are clearly below my experience level?"

Check out the Premium Section below for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade

Why upgrade? For less than $0.63/day, you get:

• Subscriber-Only Discounts: Get exclusive promo codes for Karpiak Consulting services, available only to Premium subscribers. Whether you're updating your resume, need a LinkedIn profile review, or want expert help tailoring your applications, these occasional discounts make expert support more accessible.

• Extra Tips & Advice: Gain exclusive insights, strategies, and advice from a recruiter with over 20 years of experience in the field. Discover what hiring managers truly value and how to stand out at every step of your job search.

• Access to Previous Issues: Explore a library of knowledge with all 100+ past issues of the newsletter. Each edition is packed with proven strategies, practical advice, and real-world jobseeking stories to give you an edge in today’s competitive job market. From resume tips to handling tough interview questions, you’ll find answers to every challenge.

• Exclusive Q&A: Have questions about your job search? Premium subscribers can ask Adam directly! Questions will be featured in upcoming issues, with detailed answers tailored to real-world scenarios, ensuring you get the guidance you need.

• Bonus Content: As part of your Premium subscription, you’ll receive 20 additional job search tips delivered to your inbox over the next 20 days. This includes advice on avoiding common mistakes and maximizing your job search strategy to land interviews faster.

Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

AFFILIATES

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