The word “pinging” or “ping” is an IT word, and I know the majority of those reading this are not IT professionals. However, if you don’t know the definition (and how it applies to your job search), you’re doing your job search a disservice. (Tweet this thought.)
Pinging your resume can be one of the most important and beneficial activities you can do as a job seeker—and it’s the easiest! Yet 90-95% of job seekers I speak to have no idea what it is.
According to Wikipedia, it’s “… an XML-RPC-based push mechanism by which a weblog notifies a server that its content has been updated.” Got it?
Basically, a “pinged” resume is an updated resume.
Why This Is So Important
Many of the job search pundits out there will argue that job boards are dead and networking is the wave of the future. To some degree, they’re right, but job boards are not going anywhere anytime soon. They provide human resource departments and recruiters easy access to a large array of talent. So, you still need to know how master these job board databases—and the easiest way to do that is pinging your resume.
To ping your resume, you must simply update it.
When you post your resume on any major job board site such as Monster or CareerBuilder, you are immediately put at the top of the list. But what do you think happens when other people come along and post their resumes? You get moved to the bottom of the list.
Why? It’s simple. The database works from new to old. Therefore, the resumes on page 10 or 35 are considered “old” and outdated, even if they were only added only a few days ago.
If you don’t quite see the importance of pinging yet, let me explain with an analogy:
When you search Google for anything, if you’re like anyone else, you search the first or second pages—maybe the third page. Once you find what you’re looking for, you either take action on it or you move on to the next page. The same applies to HR recruiters and headhunters. They filter through a database of job seekers looking for specific talents. Just like with Google, they go through the first few pages, and once they find what they’re looking for, they’re done. They don’t continue on to page 35. There’s no need; it’s a waste of time.
How to “Update” Your Resume
In other words, update your resume! Here’s how:
Any of the major job boards will accept simple changes as signs that your resume is “updated.” For example, underneath your name on your resume, you probably have your phone number and email. To “update” your resume, put your email first and then your phone number. You’re not changing the content of your resume, and no one will ever notice such a small change, but to the database, you’ve uploaded a “new” resume. Now, this “new” resume will be put on the top of the pile.
This simple change will allow HR recruiters and headhunters to find you easily and quickly, thus yielding more potential interviews for you.
Taking It to the Next Level
Now, say you want to take this strategy to the next level and really be a go-getter. As a job seeker, you should always be keeping track of the jobs you’re applying to. Yes, I know it’s tedious, but I promise it will only help you in the long run.
The majority of companies today use some form of an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for their recruiting process. When you apply to these jobs, you must upload your resume. Well, let’s say that a few months have gone by in your job search, and you never heard from a few companies you’ve applied to. (You know this, because you keep track!)
You can log back into the profile you created with these companies and use the same technique to update your resume. Now, when the HR recruiters go to search their database to fill a new job, guess whose resume will be right on top?
Now that you know this simple trick, isn’t it mind-blowing how few people use it? This easy trick can yield tremendous results for you in your job search and can be implemented instantly with little effort.
So go ahead, ping your resume!
Image: Flickr
