Take 2 After a Resume Rejection

We're used to thinking of a job search as a linear process, where you start out looking and end up hired.

In fact, real-world experience teaches that a hunt is more often a multi-tiered process of reversals and advances. Candidates pursue several leads simultaneously (usually aware that some of the jobs to which they've applied appeal to them more than others); for their part, hiring companies may move a candidacy to a next step, put it on hold or reject the candidate for that job. The process can look more like a relay race than a marathon.

So is there any chance for do-overs after a resume is rejected? In "How to Reapply After a Rejection," HR pros tell TheLadders that you do in fact have the option of trying again if you were eliminated in the early rounds of a search. Chances are good that it was your resume, not your skills, that failed to make the cut with applicant tracking system (ATS) software; as long as you don't misrepresent your qualifications, a refined version of your resume may fit the bill.

Laurie M. Winslow, principal at Talent Innovations Group, told reporter Lisa Vaas that a smart applicant "will immediately contact the recruitment office of the rejecting organization. If they cannot get through to the appropriate recruiter, I would advise that they speak with a sympathetic administrative assistant --anyone who can guide them as to the best way for them to replace the resume currently in the ATS with one containing the correct keywords and phrases. And once their customized resume has been submitted, I would encourage them to contact the appropriate recruiter (or sympathetic administrative assistant) and request that their updated resume be reviewed for the open position."

Winslow suggests changing the e-mail address when resubmitting an application, since e-mail is the primary data point used by most ATSes to sort resumes; changing it will probably convince the ATS it's a new application.

But don't try to con the company about your qualifications: "When looking at a resume, recruiters look to make sure that, if there are multiples, no significant data has been altered," Vaas writes. "To avoid appearing flaky at best and fraudulent at worst, keep the work history consistent, and don't change company names for which you've worked, titles you've held, education, or months and years at the companies. Bottom line: Executive summaries and bulleted lists of key skills and achievements are the areas to tweak, not work-history sections."