Whatever holiday you celebrate, chances are good that you’ve heard Santa Claus is Coming to Town at Least at least once this year… on the radio, on tv,  or in stores.

He’s making a list,
Checking it twice,
Going to find out who’s Naughty or Nice...

This week we share StartWire’s version of the “nice” list — a sweet group of companies and organizations recognized by the 2012 Candidate Experience Awards, a program that recognizes employers who treat candidates well throughout the job search process.

Here’s a list of employers you may want to check out and put on your short list for applying for jobs in 2013:

Your resume is an important tool in your job search. Think of it as a marketing tool that markets your value to employers. Before employers get a chance to meet you face-to-face, your resume gives off the first impression…and first impressions can make or break it! Therefore, it’s important that you use your resume to increase your visibility to employers. StartWire emphasizes the importance of a resume because not only does it help your job search, but it’s also necessary to use some of StartWire’s best features:

1. Your resume unlocks Express Apply Jobs. Ever feel tired of filling out the same job applications when the details on your resume should be sufficient enough to fill in those blank fields? Express Apply Jobs eliminate the long application process, and once you’re interested in applying for a job, click “Apply” and we’ll send your resume straight to the employer. (We can only do this if a resume exists in your StartWire profile.)
2. Your resume in a resume database increases your visibility. 80% of employers search resume databases to look for new hires. StartWire offers free resume distribution so that your resume will land into the hands of employers seeking for employees like you. Employers prefer to search for candidates in resume databases because sometimes, unqualified candidates apply to posted positions. Finding candidates in a database helps them ensure they’re getting the right match. Increase your visibility and chances of being found by having your resume be a part of databases that employers are searching.
3. Your resume unlocks StartWire Mobile. Many people are searching for jobs on the go and through their phones (or wishing they could!). Therefore, StartWire now offers mobile job searches. Once you locate a job of interest, click apply and your resume will be sent to the employer. In order for StartWire Mobile to work, make sure that a resume is attached to your StartWire profile.

How do you upload a resume to your StartWire account? Option 1) You can actually upload a resume to your StartWire account by forwarding an email with your resume attached to resume@startwire.com. The system will automatically attach your resume to your StartWire account. Option 2) Log-in at www.startwire.com and click on your name at the top, right-hand corner to view your profile. From there, you can either choose to attach or copy & paste your resume. Let your resume increase your visibility to employers—Upload your resume today!

Are you tired of filling out the same applications when applying to jobs? First Name, Last Name–All the standard fields that a glimpse of your resume should reveal. Time is important in a job search. Ideally, a shorter job search is a better job search.

If you’re like me, there’s only a set amount of time each day where I can keep myself seated to go through the process of: 1) finding a qualified pool of jobs to apply to, 2) filling out the applications that go with these positions, and 3) making sure my resume looks crafted enough for that specific position.   Therefore, while I still have my initiative and focus of the day, I want to make my time count!

Filling out the same applications for different job positions in a time-constrained job search can be very redundant and unnecessary.  My time could be put to better use if I filled out less paper-work related applications and spent it both finding and applying to more relevant job listings.   At StartWire, we realized this and decided to make this process easier.  As a result, we came up with… Express Apply Jobs.

First, we scour our database (daily!) for jobs that match your skills and experience, and deliver them to your StartWire account. What determines the type of Express Apply Jobs you receive?  We search StartWire’s database of over 100,000 jobs to find openings that are right for you. If you’ve taken a look at your Express Apply Jobs and wish to see something a little different, click on your name in the upper right hand corner of your account and edit your job search profile to help us understand what you’re looking for.

Now you have Express Apply Jobs job listings you can apply to in under a minute.   How does this work?   They cut down on the time you would have spent filling out applications by making sure that there are no applications to fill out!  Once you’ve read the job description, have interest in applying, and click to apply, your resume will be sent straight to the employer.  This is a great way to save time and avoid filling out extra paperwork.

Where can you find your Express Apply Jobs?  For your convenience, the first few Express Apply Jobs you qualify for can be found in your homepage after you’ve signed into your StartWire account.  The rest can be found in the Express Apply icon (that looks like a clock) at the top, right-hand corner of your page.

Lastly, Express Apply Jobs are free, so put this resource to great use.  Let us know what you think of this tool and what you’d like to see for the future.   We’re always brainstorming newer tools to make the job search process a better and easier one for you.

StartWire is excited to announce that our newly launched product for employers, ApplicationConnect, was chosen as one of the 2012 TOP HR PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR by Human Resource Executive for its unique contribution to the field.  This award recognizes “excellence and innovation in the HR vendor community” and we are honored to be part of such a high performing group.

With Application Connect, StartWire supports the importance of the candidate experience.  Application Connect is a tool devised to encourage businesses to treat applicants like customers.  Applicants can receive status updates on their job applications and have a space to give employers feedback on their experience. This allows businesses to create positive branding practices, which support customer perspective towards their product or service and a better recruiting experience.

As we attend this conference, we will be keeping our ears open for advice from top HR professionals on how to better improve the job search experience for job-seekers!  Thank you to all of your support!

The StartWire team is off to Chicago on October 8-10 to attend the 15^th Annual HR Technology Conference & Expo and support the 2012 Candidate Experience Awards as a sponsor. 

The Candidate Experience Awards encourage businesses to improve the candidate experience.   Searching for a job is a stressful situation and the Talent Board, a non-profit research organization who is behind the CandE Awards, recognizes this.  Their mission is to help employers and candidates have a more effective and humane experience during the recruiting process.  For this goal, StartWire is proud to be a sponsor of the CandE Awards.

The HR Technology Conference explores how technology is bringing about change in HR practices and some new ways of implementing technology to improve HR practices.  Attendees from 27 nations, senior HR executives, the top six most powerful software executives in our world, and HR technology consultants make this one of the most anticipated HR conferences of the year!  More about the HR Tech Expo from their main page.

StartWire’s team is excited to be attending the conference, and proud to be supporting an improved candidate experience. Let’s all keep working to make the job search and hiring process better!

We’ve talked about how the hiring process works on the other side of the corporate desk. Now it’s time to focus on another aspect of the U.S. job search — job seeker confidence.

The national unemployment rate went down from 8.3% to 8.1% in August, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the drop was not due to increased hiring — but rather to more discouraged workers dropping out of the job search process altogether.

While not an economist or a statistician, I have an alternate take on why monthly numbers for hiring were down: For most of us, July and August are by far the most popular months to sit by the beach, cook out, and take a vacation (paid or unpaid). Parents often schedule family time. Members on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. House and Senate traditionally take a five week recess — creating countless vacancies in parking garages across D.C. and a remarkably easy morning commute on the Washington beltway.

If you are looking for a job, it’s a similar situation to December: It can be a challenge to keep your job search mojo up when everyone around you is taking some time off! Especially given that many search committees may postpone or delay interviews or hiring decisions since “not everyone is in the office” or around to check references and sign-off on job offers. But don’t get discouraged! Typically, those who take off August return in full-force and a mission to hire in September.

At StartWire, we work hard to provide you with free time-saving tools that allow you to maximize your job search results while minimizing your effort. We only share job listings of opportunities that have been posted within the last two weeks — because who wants to apply for a job after all the interviews are finished? Our new ExpressApply feature speeds up the time it takes to apply for jobs. We provide you with an easy way to track your job applications and work search activity — and enable access to automatic updates on the status of your candidacy from over 7,000 companies across the U.S. To learn more about these features and how you can make them work for you, visit us at StartWire.

Now that the days are growing shorter, it’s a perfect time to dust off that resume and apply again — optimally, within seven days of a job posting since our research tells us that the early bird gets the job. So go ahead, what are you waiting for?

Good luck!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken you on a tour of what happens inside companies behind closed doors — we’ve shown you how jobs get approved, how employers find potential candidates, and frequent knots in the process that lead to re-posting of jobs and hiring delays.

As always, applying for jobs is a two-way street: Just as employers pick who they want to hire, you get to pick where and who you want to work with. Throughout the search process, remember you also have the right to choose your employer. If you don’t like the way you are treated as a candidate, you still have the option to withdraw your application — or turn down a job if you don’t feel that the culture is a fit. Regardless of what happens in the process, don’t forget that you have the power in this part of the hiring process.

If you experience roadblocks as you apply for a job — but still remain interested in the job — here are three easy action steps you can take to increase your chances.

1. Take a personal approach. Whenever possible, apply for positions as early as possible and address your application to a real person. (If the job description doesn’t include a name, use LinkedIn or Google to find the name of the person that has the same title mentioned in the job description as the Supervisor. Then address your cover letter and email to this person.)

2. Know where you stand in the applicant pool. Many companies provide applicants with status updates on their application, but — traditionally — you can only see this data if you log back into the website where you applied for the job.

StartWire provides you with a free way to get these updates on the status of your applications at 7,000+ companies. Just sign up for an account, tell us where you’ve applied and track your application — and we’ll tell you if we can send you updates.

If you should be able to get updates on your application, and there’s no record of your application — check back with the company and confirm that your application was received.

3. Enlist help of friends and colleagues for an “in.” As we’ve discussed, getting a referral and word-of-mouth shout-out that you’d be great for a job is one of the best ways to get hired. Here’s how to get a referral even if you don’t know someone.

Next week, we’ll provide you with strategies you can use to follow-up throughout your job search – from how and when to contact potential employers to touch base on what to say if the employer suddenly goes “dark” after an interview.  If you have specific questions on this that you’d like us to answer, please ask away in the comments section.

Ever applied for a job, interviewed, and never heard back — only to see the same job re-posted with a different job title or modified description weeks later on the company’s website? If yes, you are not alone.

This is the third post in a five-part series designed to take you behind the scenes for an in-depth glimpse of what really happens behind closed doors as employers go through the hiring process. We’ve shared information about how jobs are created and how employers find employees. Today, we turn our attention to a persistent problem that takes place inside companies when recruiters, hiring managers, and senior executives aren’t on the same page.

Miscommunication in the workplace with regard to hiring decisions costs companies time and money in lost productivity each year, and leaves many great candidates on the sidelines scratching their heads. Here are three common scenarios that happen as companies hire — as well as tips on how to spot and address them.

1. The unadvertised opening – a job “you’ll be perfect for.”Over 1/4 of all hires come from referrals or recommendations of employees or trusted colleagues. In a perfect world, you mention an interest in a hypothetical job to a friend. Your friend knows of a job and recommends you. You give a friend a paper copy of your resume. You land an interview. And you get hired — without ever applying. Unfortunately, this rarely happens without a few bumps. The biggest reason why: A majority of U.S. employers must comply with EEOC and federal hiring guidelines which state that jobs have to be advertised, and that candidates can only be hired if they are official applicants. (Other obstacles to the “hire on recommendation” approach include other colleagues who don’t know you.)The fix:Submit your application materials to the company when you hear of an opening — even if you have a friend who already works there and has offered to put your resume on the CEO’s desk. Apply through official channels, even if it is only a matter of submitting your resume and a letter of interest to HR. Don’t be afraid to drop names in your cover letter or e-mails: Make it clear who alerted you to the potential opening, and — ideally — state how you know them.
2.  The position that disappears — only to be re-listed after you’ve applied and/or interviewed.This is a tricky one, since employers re-post positions for multiple reasons: Perhaps the hiring manager decided the job required a different skill set, perhaps the job did not get posted on the right websites to comply with company policies, perhaps the CEO of the company wanted to see additional candidates…The list goes on.You’ll never know what happened unless you ask.The fix: Be direct with the company. Call HR or the Hiring Manager. Ask about the status of the position. State your continued interest in the job and provide information about any communication you’ve had with them. Ask if you can — and should reapply. (Tip: Don’t leave a message or send an e-mail. Easier to get a direct response when you call and ask — in person!)
3. The perpetual job opening.Ever seen the same job listed in the paper — every day for a year? It could be a sign of a scam, or a job search that is on hold — or it could be the sign of a position where employers can’t keep new employees.The fix: See if you can find an inside connection to the hiring organization — and ask about the job before you apply. If you can’t find out any information, make sure it is not a scam.  (You can also seek out listings on sites that focus on providing new and current job listings. At StartWire, we only post positions that have been posted within two weeks!)

   When you do apply, don’t rely on that job application alone — apply to multiple positions and organizations at a time.

Have you ever experienced these challenges or any other “what happened” moments as a job search candidate? If yes, weigh in — we want to hear from you!

Ever see a job listing that looks like it was custom-made for your skills and experience? Sent in your resume, confident that your phone would ring within minutes — only to never hear back from the organization again?

When this happens, your first reaction may be: What’s wrong with me? More often than not, the answer is “nothing.” The problem is often the hiring process itself.

As part of our efforts to fix the process, we’ve put together a special series to take you behind the scenes for an in-depth glimpse of what employers look for when they hire. This is part two of that series.

Recently, we covered how a job description gets created and approved — and hinted at the problems caused when hiring managers change their mind about what they want to see in candidates as they progress through the hiring process. Today, we’re focusing on the next step in the process: What happens behind closed doors after the job gets approved?

From the surface, it looks like the hiring process is a simple one:

1. Job gets advertised.
2. Candidates apply.
3. Short list of candidates get interviewed.
4. Top candidate gets offered.

In reality, the process is often more complicated. First, before the job is advertised, employers typically set goals for gathering job applications. Recruiters and hiring managers often operate on what is known as the “100 to 8 to 3″ system. Through this approach:

1. 100 or more candidates apply for the job.
2. 8 candidates are selected for phone screens.
3. 3 candidates are brought in for in-person interviews, with the goal of one offer being extended to fill the job!

To receive 100 or more applications, employers seek out applications from multiple advertising channels, including identifying potential candidates on LinkedIn and asking for word-of-mouth referrals to potential hires from current employees and friends.

As a candidate, it’s especially useful to come recommended via LinkedIn or a referral for two reasons:

1. LinkedIn is used by up to 93% of employers who use social media to “source” or identify potential candidates. (Source: JobVite, Social Recruiting Survey 2012)
2. StartWire CEO Chris Forman says, “Referrals are the #1 source of hires in corporate America. And for good reason. Research shows that ‘referral’ hires not only stay longer in their jobs, but perform better over the long term. Anytime you can get your application tagged as ‘referral’, your chances of getting to an interview sky rocket.”

To help you get referrals and LinkedIn recommendations, StartWire includes a free, built-in feature that helps you identify existing LinkedIn connections. To use this, simply connect your LinkedIn account to StartWire — then search jobs as you normally do. As you look at jobs, click the “Get Referrals” icon to see who you know and request an introduction.

If you don’t have a referral or know anyone, the fastest way to get to the top of the interview pile is to follow our two step process for success:

1. Identify the top keywords employers are looking for when they review applications by using this easy, five minute trick. Add the keywords to the top of your resume and make sure you also include them in your cover letter.
2. Use job alerts (you can set them up inside StartWire or on other job sites) to send you positions that match your job search interests. When you see a job that matches your interests, apply without delay. Want a good reason not to procrastinate? Last year, we analyzed data from over 6,600 hires — and found that 50% of successful candidates applied within one weekthat the job was listed. It pays to apply quickly because the candidates who are reviewed first often make the short list for phone screens.  If the short list is good enough, many employers don’t review applications received after the short list is created.

Finding referrals, using the right keywords, and applying early — all of these are short cuts to land on top of the phone screen pile. Next week, we’ll show you what to do if you pass these hurdles, but see the position stall out after your interview.

In the interim, let us know if you have further questions about the process or how to succeed in your search.

While big openings and companies hiring in volume make for good press, there are many great opportunities posted or available which get little or no airtime at all, even on corporate career sites. The number and frequency of hidden job opportunities is a topic of great debate. Today, we’re focusing on the back story of how these individual jobs get created. (This is the first post in a series of six designed to take you behind the scenes as employers advertise for positions and make hiring decisions.)

As we’ve mentioned before, searching for a job can be very much like looking for the right life partner: To create a sustainable long-term relationship, you both have to be open and willing to make a commitment to one another!

The first step in the hiring process at most organizations is deciding to hire: There must be a current opening, and a recognized need to fill the job. Just as companies don’t hire a recruiter unless they need to make enough hires to have a recruiter, there has to be enough work to do for the job to exist.

Here are some of the reasons employers create jobs:

1. To fill vacancies created by employees who leave for new opportunities or get promoted
2. They have enough work that they need to hire more people,
3. The organization is re-structuring and/or in growth mode to achieve new or aggressive company goals

The second step in the hiring process is nailing down the specifics of the job description.
What will the new hire do? Who will they report to? And what skills are most important?

The third step in the hiring process — what happens after you’ve applied and while you are waiting to hear back — is largely unknown to all but a select few inside the organization.

One of the biggest challenges in the hiring process is the chaos of the hiring process during the actual search. As Tom Brokaw once quipped in a commencement address to new college graduates,

Real life is junior high…filled with adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds and the false bravado of 14-year-olds.  Forty years from now, I guarantee it, you’ll still be making silly mistakes, you’ll have a temper tantrum, you’ll have your feelings hurt for some trivial slight, you’ll say something dumb and at least once a week you’ll wonder, “Will I ever grow up?”

Inside companies, it’s not uncommon for an employer to re-advertise a job weeks after it has been posted because they thought of additional “must-have” skills for candidates — after they’ve listed the position. It’s not unusual for employers to move a long-time employee into a job he isn’t trained for — simply to keep him on staff if his old job has been eliminated. Employers frequently extend their own hiring timelines — or downgrade their position requirements — when the money doesn’t come in as fast as they expected it to.

Bottom line: If you’re on the candidate side of the hiring equation, it can feel like it did in middle school when your date for the dance bailed on you…But it doesn’t have to feel that way.

Brokaw says you can counter the petty problems of the real world, if you are “always a grown-up” in your relationships with others. Next week, we’ll show you what employers look for, how to get noticed, and how to follow-up gracefully when you see signs of adolescence in your job search. Until then, share what’s feeling awkward to you in your job search: What makes you feel most in the dark when you apply for jobs?