Ask a Recruiter Whats Really the Most Important Part of My Job Application

Ask a Recruiter Whats Really the fruchtwein Important Part of My Job Application Want to know whatrecruiters are really thinking? In our Ask a Recruiter series, we invite you to take an exclusive look inside the mind of a real recruiter Allie Hofer to see how she approaches the hiring process.Twice a month, Allie will answer a question from one of our readers. If you have a question about finding the right job posting, emailing the right partie, or landing yourself on a recruiters desk, drop it in the comments.Q Whats the most important part of myjob application?Yes, its important to optimize your LinkedIn profile and tweak your resume for every single job you apply to. But it may come as a surprise to you that the single most important thing you can do to land yourself a job has to do with a tiny, often-missed question found on many organizationsjob applications Were you referred to XYZ Company?The answer to this question is your one-way flugflugticket to getting a previously-reje cted resume reconsidered, or a newly submitted resume evaluated.As a recruiter, there have been countless instances where a candidate who fell short of the required qualifications for a job was phone interviewed simply because he or she was referred to us by someone in our organization. This practice isnt only important to recruiters because referrals have great conversion rates from hire to tenure and generally improve the quality of hire. It is also important for us to acknowledge the recruiting work our employees doing on our behalf (theyll stop going to work for us if they dont feel their recommendation is validated).While it may not be possible to only apply for jobs where you have a person connection, I do recommend that the majority of organizations at which you applyare ones where you have at least a first or second degree connection. And before you automatically assume that you dont know a single person at XYZ company, consider if you at least know someone who knows someone .Hint LinkedIn makes this very easy.When youve identified at least one person who can vouch for you, alert them that youve applied (and yes, apply before reaching out for a recommendation, because all good recruiters will force you through the appropriate channels before moving forward with your candidacy. Hint this has to do with federal and/or internal reporting purposes). Simply explain to them that you recently submitted an application for XYZ role at XYZ company and attach your resume. Then, kindly request that they pass along your name to the hiring manager responsible for the role.In this market, its usually less than 24 hours after being notified of a referral that Iam in touch with him or her.And before you feel exhausted at all of the legwork involved in answering that one question on a job application, consider these stats from Jobvite and EREReferred candidates are 15 times more likely to be interviewed than candidates who simply submit their applications via a job board .78% of recruiters rank referrals as the best source for quality hires.After two years, retention of referred employees is 45% compared to 20% from job boards.Referrals are only 6.9% of all applicants.So, now will you do what it takes to be in that 6.9%? Answering yes to that short but very significant questionis your one-way ticket to getting seen.--Hi, there Im Allie Hofer,an HR professional and work-life balance enthusiast. More officially, Im a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). After having my first child, I opted out of the traditional office setting to work from home. Since then, I have been consulting with organizations in the public and private sectors to support the Human Resources function in recruiting, compensation, training and development, and performance management.I started Office Hours to offer a boutique HR solution for small and medium-sized businesses and to help candidates navigate and completely own their career pathsWhats your most burningjob search question? Drop it in the comments below and our expert recruiter may answer it in a future post