In Friday knockoffs I’ll answer the questions I get in my DMs. These could be about resumes, salary negotiations or non recruitment/work related things like my favourite lawn mower or my top 3 tracksuit pant brands.

You can submit your questions at https://linktr.ee/mitchking

Q: It used to be that experience meant more than education but I find recruiters are using degrees as an easy culling method in the ATS.

I don't have a degree but have 15 years of killer experience. How do you get your application looked at by a human?

A:

I think what I want to try and communicate here isn’t the answer to “how do you get your application looked at by a human” question, but address more the misunderstanding of the person asking the question.

Degrees may be relevant and required for some companies and certain roles. They may be totally irrelevant and not required for other companies and roles.

There isn’t a Governing body that is deciding that Education trumps Experience or vice versa. When the questions are asked like this, it suggests to me that you think there’s a set process or a list of rules all companies follow.

There definitely isn’t.

Now, the “easy culling method in the ATS” is interesting. I’d be curious to know if the person asking the question has ever used an ATS or if this is an assumption.

It’s possible some ATS might be set up for this but often, they aren’t. Potentially there is a screening questions or part of the application process is detailing your education, so it’s true you could set up a rule in an ATS to automatically reject someone based on their response to that question.

But if a company or hiring manager has made a degree part of their hiring criteria, I don’t think there’s anything you can change in your resume to get around that except lying - which I’m not suggesting.

To answer the final question, “how do you get your resume looked at by a human” here is my super quick checklist:

1. Make sure your resume is clear and concise, the best test of this is to get a friend outside of your industry to read your resume and explain back to you what you do.

2. Network. I don’t mean just attending events and being the loudest person in the room. I mean reach out to your former colleagues, connect with people after a webinar, message someone on LinkedIn that you admire.

3. Be proactive. Reach out to companies and people before they are advertising a role. This is probably what people are talking about when they say there is a “hidden job market”. It’s not unusual for someone to get a job that was never advertised, because they were already known to the CEO/Manager/Company and then the right opportunity opened up.

Q: What is the correct format for a resume in Australia? I have at least 10 resumes which I alter according to the job description, but still haven't received any calls in the last year! Is it so hard to find an entry-level job in design?

A:

As above, there is no one correct format for resumes.

If you have applied for jobs for a year and haven’t received any calls back, I would be looking at doing something other than reformatting your resume.

You’re looking for Design roles, is your folio easy to find in your resume?

Could you work on adding more projects to your folio, instead of re-doing your resume over and over again?

Entry level roles are always hard to come by but the job market in this space at the moment is especially tough, so the worlds best resume may not get you an interview if you are finding other ways to demonstrate your design skills without having the experience yet.

Q: If you could have any lawn mower, which lawn mower would you want?

A:

A very good question and one that I appreciate you asking.

Firstly, there is no one mower for everyone much like there is no one resume for all companies.

I live in a Semi-Rural part of the Gold Coast, so even with one of the smallest blocks of land in my suburb, it would be about 3x your average Sydney block.

I started with Professional grade self propelled (you push the lever when walking and the engine drives the wheels which makes hills 1000% easier) and eventually gave in and purchased a cheap ride on, which has done the job but not one I’d recommend.

The dream would be something like this, especially due to the catcher at the back. A freshly cut lawn with no clippings is one of the more beautiful sites in the world.

Wide cutting deck means you cover a lot of ground quickly, motor is powerful enough to handle inclines and it’s just out of shot but a good sized drink holder.

I have also heard great things about these Aussie made beasts:

Or if you live on a property with steep slopes, the Razorbacks are supposed to be like Mountain Goats

If anyone wants to donate one of these machines to me, do not hesitate to contact me.