The agony of the résumé black hole

So I’m just going to get it out of the way and ask now… did you receive my résumé? Yes? No? Maybe? ¶ During a recent conversation with a sales rep, I mentioned the surprising number of times, especially over the last few years, that I have not received any acknowledgment of the receipt of my cover letter and résumé, nor any indication as to the status of my application. He later sent me an article on the “résumé black hole.”

This term is self-explanatory, especially to those of us who have been sending out several résumés a year without receiving a response to at least a few of them. The résumé black hole is the netherworld into which an applicant’s résumé, once sent to a prospective employer, disappears, leaving the applicant unsure if their application materials have even been received, let alone reviewed by anyone involved in the hiring process.

While the lack of a response can be incredibly frustrating and probably not the best form on the part of the employer, I think we need to look at the issue from both sides. On one hand, it doesn’t seem as though it would be that time consuming to create a mass e-mail to send out to all applicants confirming the receipt of their application materials.

On the other hand, like many maintenance staffs, other departments within the club are also dealing with time and manpower constraints. It stands to reason that between dealing with dozens, if not 100 or more résumés, on top of other day-to-day responsibilities, there might not be time to do things exactly as they would prefer.

It is what it is and there’s really no use getting bent out of shape about it. According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, 75 percent of 1,083 respondents from across the occupational spectrum stated that they had not received any response from at least one employer over the last year. Clearly, it’s not an issue that is unique to golf course maintenance.

In my opinion, since the person or committee responsible for conducting a superintendent search have a vested interest in making sure they identify as many of the best candidates as possible, I think it’s unlikely that they’re choosing to just ignore dozens of résumés. However, going back to the time constraints that may be involved with the hiring manager or committee, the importance of concisely stating your qualifications, experience and results relative to the requirements in the posting can’t be overstated and will drastically increase your chances of getting an interview. Résumés that are tailored to the position for which you are applying stand a far better chance at getting a serious look.

But an applicant can submit a well written and presented résumé that is specifically tailored to the position and still not get a response within a reasonable amount of time. At that point, it’s time to follow-up with the employer. This can be a bit of an awkward situation in that you don’t want to annoy the employer. But at the same time, we all know how fast the superintendent hiring process can move, especially if the search is occurring during the season. You need to know that your résumé is in the hands of the right people. Most hiring managers in this business understand that also and will respond to follow-up inquiries in a timely manner. In the event that they don’t, that’s pretty much all the answer you need.

If one of your résumés ends up in the black hole this winter, hang in there. More than likely, the right people will see it. After all, they care as much about learning if you’re the right person for them as you do.