PFO - now what?

Hi there,

There is probably nothing I can do here about this but I just thought Id try you guys and see what you'd advise in my position.

I recently saw that a large american organization was hiring expansively in Dublin and Zurich (this appealed to me as Im irish and live in Zurich as the regulars on the board know). They had a couple of roles that I felt I was a very good fit for and I sent in my cv electronically via their website.

5 days later I got a very nice "thank you for your interest in ****, currently we dont have a fit for you.....we are keeping you on file" letter, or a pfo as we used to call them back in college. Im pretty disappointed. My cv meets all the criteria they requested. Interestingly Ive spoken with some other expats here who applied to them and they also received "we are keeping you on file" letters. It made me think that maybe they are waiting for MBAs or PHDs to apply (though these were not listed as requirements), I do have a primary degree and a masters degree and 10 years experience in the relevant field.

Anyway, I suppose there is nothing I can do, I was thinking of writing a cover letter and sending my cv in via "snail mail" again as the electronic way didnt allow for a cover letter. That said I dont want to spam them. Has anyone been in this position? Anyone working in HR that could recommend the best route for me re-approaching them?

thanks in advance,
cas.

Personally, having submitted the electronic way, I don't believe that you have an "in" this time around.

You could just keep an eye out for either updated advertising for the same jobs down the road, or new advertising for new positions.

At that stage, personal contact should be made - preferably a phone call. "Hi, I see you're advertising again, and I'd like to follow up, blah blah...."

First time around, you would have been better to make personal contact (or at least a phone call followed by the CV you sent in), which would then allow you follow up on such a PFO.

Personally, I wouldn't send the CV in again. It'll get dumped immediately.

If this company's name begins with G, you are probably better off. Their hiring process is long and involved (multiple rounds, including with potential coworkers.). Unless you know someone already working there on the technical side who can expedite the process, it's not worth it.

Interestingly both G and A are offering finders fees to employees who introduce a successful hire...shades of the boom!

MugsGame said:

If this company's name begins with G,..

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LOL.

Thanks for the response MugsGame and Ronan_d. Im inclined to agree with you Ronan_d, if I worked in HR and the same cv came across my desk again Id only dump it.

If Id gone for interview (even a preliminary) and been PFO'd I would have thought - ok they dont see me as a good fit, but just PFOing me on the CV really baffled (and concerned) me. Before I sent the CV in I got it reviewed by 2 friends one of which works in HR recruiting for a similiar positions for another big american organization to ensure that my CV was relevant, concise, clear. Also I know I meet the criteria they requested and I have the relevant experience, hence my confusion.

Anyway, lesson learnt, I wont just use the electronic submission in future, I should have accompanied it with a phone call or some type of cover letter (though electronic submission doesnt allow for that).

thanks
cas.

casiopea said:

but just PFOing me on the CV really baffled (and concerned) me. Before I sent the CV in I got it reviewed by 2 friends one of which works in HR recruiting for a similiar positions for another big american organization to ensure that my CV was relevant, concise, clear. Also I know I meet the criteria they requested and I have the relevant experience, hence my confusion.

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You shouldn't necessarily jump to this conclusion regarding suitability.
You should remember that the reasoning behind the advertising might not necessarily be because they were looking for new hires.

It was the end of the year, almost, so it could have been just to raise company profile. Could have been to make existing employees feel better. Or make them more nervous around review time - "look, we can always find someone better".

In the same vein, if there were salary ranges mentioned, it could have been to set expectations with regards to existing employees and pay rises for the forthcoming year.

It could have been that the HR department hadn't harvested as many CVs for the year as their yearly targets may have stated at the beginning of the year. Their CV database may not have been as up to date as was required.

By way of illustration, remember that in Recruitment Consultancies, most consultants receive bonuses according to the number of CVs they get sent, the number of people the bring in to their own office to "meet for a chat", the number of outbound calls that they make, the number of people they send for interview. So, activities along these lines may not necessarily mean that it's going to progress a candidate towards a job.

Just remember from Aer Lingus - "environmental push factors". Nothing when it comes to HR is always as it would appear to be.

casiopea said:

or some type of cover letter (though electronic submission doesnt allow for that).

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Well, technically you could, if you made your cover letter the first or last page of the word document that you're submitting as your cv.doc or whatever, if that's the manner in which its being electronically submitted.