You’ve made up your mind – it is time to look for a new job opportunity.

• Your resume is ready.
• You have researched all of the recruiters that specialize in your niche.
• You are all set to go.

You load up your email with your resume and push the magic send button and then… nothing. No response.

How can you ensure that the recruiter actually sees your resume?

• Did they open it?
• What did they think?

It is hard to tell in all that silence. The majority of recruiters won’t respond to everyone who sends their resume. Knowing this can help to manage your expectations. So how can you be the exception and ensure that your resume gets read? Follow this 3 Step Formula.

1) Be Specific in the Subject line of your email:

Don’t put “My Resume”.

Try this subject line instead: Resume – Your first & Last Name – Your Title.

Ex. Resume – Siva Kumarandran – Controller

If the recruiter has a specific role that you are interested in, include the position title and job number.

Ex. Resume – Dorothy Valentia – Senior Product Manager – re Job 13552 Marketing Manager

2) Send Your Resume During Office Hours:

You will get a better response rate if you send your resume during office hours at a time where it’s predictable the recruiter is at their desk.

If you send your resume during the evening, it will be in yesterday’s email when the recruiter starts back to work the next day and might get over looked. Or they may click on your email on their iPhone during the evening at their kids soccer practice and may not give it the attention it deserves. The next day when they are back at work it will look like it has been already read and instantly you get overlooked. If you send your resume on the weekend, it might get missed altogether. Sending your resume between 9am and 5pm gets the best response.

3) Call the recruiter 5-15 MINUTES after you send your resume.

I know that this may sound annoying, but your goal here is to get the recruiter on the phone with your resume open in front of them. When you call you can say “I just sent my resume to you and I’m calling to make sure that you received it.” It is actually easier for the recruiter because they don’t have to go looking through their inbox to find you. Then you can have a conversation about your background and career interests.

If you get the recruiter’s voicemail, don’t leave a message. Just try calling throughout the day until you reach them live

Remember to think long-term when you are talking with a recruiter. If they aren’t working on a job search that is the perfect fit for you right now, let them know what kinds of roles you would be interested in hearing about in the future.

Here’s to your success!