How To Get Hired - Small Business Perspective

There's plenty of advice out there for job candidates who are submitting resumes to big corporations, recruiters, or even mid-sized companies that have HR departments handling the whole hiring process. I work for a small, healthy and growing business which currently employs about 12 people. Most of these employees are specialists, a couple are management, and we have two support staff members. We have a multi-functioning office manager (myself) who handles IT support, HR and hiring initiatives, as well as administrative, marketing and public relations support. It's a pretty typical small business set up.

I read through information published to help job seekers sometimes and am alarmed at how many tips and techniques do not translate from being effective for big businesses to working when contacting a small business. For instance, I read an article on Yahoo yesterday about 12 Tips to Get Your Resume Noticed. I was totally on board with Ms. Johnson's advice until I got to tip #9. And #10. And #11 and 12 as well. I sat there imagining what would happen to my productivity level if all of the sudden even a percentage of the 75+ candidates who email resumes to me every day for our current open position decided to - gasp - call me!

So, I put together a list of things to do, and not to do, when applying for a job at a small company:

1. Remember that the person reading resumes in a small company probably wasn't hired for that sole purpose. He or she has plenty of other job responsibilities that are waiting until all these resumes are reviewed. Be clear, concise and on-point. Include any and all information that was asked for in the job ad. Stand out by preparing a short, detailed cover note about why, exactly, you are the perfect candidate for the position advertised.
2. Don't call. Please, please, please don't call. I guarantee that it will only serve to annoy the already overworked employee who has spent the morning reviewing resumes and is trying desperately to catch up with his or her normal workload.
3. Be extremely diligent in reviewing your resume for errors and be sure that it is written in a formal tone. If you give a reviewer any reason to toss your resume into the "Do Not Contact" file, that's a great excuse to move on to the next applicant in that growing stack of resumes left to review.
4. Don't follow up unless you have been contacted. While larger companies may have the bandwidth and/or technical capabilities to respond to each and every applicant, small companies cannot always do so. If you haven't heard back, send your resume again, but don't call or send emails asking for an update.
5. If you didn't read anything about the job or don't really have any relevant experience but are just applying to everything you find on Craigslist.com "just in case", don't expect a response. Big companies and recruiters have tools to identify candidates with the right background and skill sets without reading each resume that comes in. Small businesses do not, and I'm sure the person tasked with reading your resume does not appreciate the waste of time.

Really, the number one thing to remember when applying for a job at a small company is to be respectful of the hiring manager's time. Show that you are by providing exactly what's asked for and by making it easy for the hiring manager to quickly see how your specific skills and experience translate into the perfect candidate for the job you're applying for.