What if you knew exactly what recruiters see when they look at your resume? In this episode, Alan sits down with veteran tech recruiter Margaret Buj, who has spent 20 years recruiting for industry giants like Microsoft, Cisco, Expedia, and VMware.
Margaret breaks down her exact screening process—from the "several seconds" she spends scanning for relevant headlines and quantifiable achievements, to why she won't contact candidates without metrics, and how to "connect the dots" to make your fit obvious when your background isn't a perfect match.
Tune in to discover why treating your career search like a "submit and wait" game is killing your chances, and learn the systematic approach that actually gets you noticed by recruiters and hiring managers.
Important points of the discussion:
✅ The Recruiter's 3-Second Scan: What recruiters looks for first—relevant headlines, recent direct experience, company pedigree, and quantifiable achievements that make candidates stand out instantly
✅ The "Connect the Dots" Strategy: How to reframe your background when you're not a perfect match, including specific examples of candidates who repositioned sales operations as customer success experience
✅ The Reality of Sourcing vs. Applications: Why 90% of the best candidates come from direct sourcing, the exact LinkedIn search filters recruiters use, and how referrals actually get prioritize
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