Recruitment is an interesting beast, full of layers and, let’s be honest, plenty of smoke and mirrors. Jump onto forums like LinkedIn or Reddit, and you’ll likely see countless posts from frustrated jobseekers complaining about the lack of transparency, the absence of feedback on their CV or resume, and the confusion around why they aren’t getting responses to roles that seem like a perfect fit.
We are in an employer driven market
One of the biggest factors today is the sheer volume of applications per job. Roles that used to attract a handful of candidates are now pulling in hundreds. This makes it an employer driven market.
For employers, handling these numbers isn’t ideal, but the upside is that within the flood of applications, there’s usually a group of people who look like the perfect match.
But what is an “ideal fit”?
That can be very subjective. There are so many factors at play, and one employer’s idea of “ideal” can be completely different from another’s.
What we do know is that in the current market, your resume is almost certainly competing against other strong, high calibre candidates. When you apply for a role that attracts hundreds of applicants, employers usually narrow things down to candidates who tick the most boxes.
The 7 Point Tick List
Here’s the checklist commonly used in recruitment when selecting a shortlist:
✅ Job Title Match
✅ Industry Match
✅ Product Knowledge
✅ Specialist Technical Skills
✅ Relevant Qualifications
✅ Ability to Add Value
✅ Years of Experience
The simple principle behind this checklist is that the more boxes you tick the better chances of interview, especially the first four boxes which are often used to build the initial pre-screen candidates shortlist.
Job Ad Example 1:
Role Title: Senior Project Manager
Contract Duration: 12 month initial contract
Daily Pay: 1,100 to 1,250 dollars inclusive of super
Location: Sydney, with flexible work from home options
About the Role:
Our client in the renewable energy sector is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead the delivery of large scale connection and infrastructure projects. The role requires strong stakeholder management, the ability to work across multiple business units, and guiding technical teams and organisational change initiatives.
Key Responsibilities:
- Oversee project delivery, ensuring budgets, schedules, and risk management are on track.
- Manage relationships across internal and external stakeholders, including IT vendors.
- Drive organisational change and ensure outcomes consider customer impact.
- Provide regular reporting to senior leadership.
Skills and Experience Required:
- At least 10 years experience.
- Experience leading diverse technical teams in complex environments.
- Background in energy, utilities, or infrastructure, ideally renewable energy.
- Proven ability to manage multi million dollar budgets and timelines.
- Strong communication and influencing skills.
- Desirable: Project or Program Management certifications such as Prince2 or PMBOK.
- Exposure to enterprise platforms such as SAP is a plus.
How candidates will be evaluated for this advert:
Even if a candidate ticks the experience and certification boxes, it is likely exposure to energy, utilities, or infrastructure that gets the resume shortlisted.
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Job Ad Example 2:
Role Title: Customer Service Representative in Technical Support
Contract Duration: Permanent
Salary: 70,000 to 80,000 dollars per year plus super
Location: Melbourne CBD, hybrid work from home options
About the Role:
Our client, a provider of industrial automation and IoT solutions, is seeking a Customer Service Representative to support clients using their hardware and software products. The role involves handling technical inquiries, troubleshooting equipment and software issues, and guiding clients through system setups and operational processes. You will work closely with engineering teams to resolve issues and maintain high client satisfaction.
Key Responsibilities:
- Respond to technical support requests via phone, email, and live chat.
- Troubleshoot network issues for industrial equipment and IoT devices.
- Guide clients through device installation, configuration, and updates.
- Escalate complex issues to engineering teams and follow up to ensure resolution.
- Maintain detailed records of support requests in the CRM system.
- Identify recurring issues and suggest process or product improvements.
Skills and Experience Required:
- Two to five years experience in technical customer support or helpdesk roles.
- Knowledge of industrial hardware, IoT devices, or software applications.
- Experience with CRM or ticketing systems such as Salesforce, Zendesk, or Jira.
- Strong problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Technical certifications such as CompTIA A+, ITIL Foundation, or vendor specific certifications are a plus.
Candidate Requirements:
Must be based in Melbourne with full working rights.
Ability to occasionally attend client sites.
Notice: In this example it is experience with Salesforce, Zendesk, or Jira, CompTIA A+ industrial hardware, and IoT systems that gets the resume shortlisted.
So, what should you do next?
Not ticking all the boxes does not mean you should not apply. Using the seven point checklist can help you manage expectations and understand why you might not be getting calls.
It can also help you adjust your job search strategy, focusing on roles where you meet most of the requirements and tailoring your resume more effectively.
