Looking for work can feel like a roller coaster — exciting highs mixed with frustrating lows. If you’re a cancer survivor, the process can feel even more intense, because often there are additional things to consider (e.g., a resume gap or a change in career goals). So it helps to do what you can to avoid any predictable challenges that may bring you down.

One common frustration for nearly all job-seekers is the experience of submitting a resume online and feeling as though it disappears into a huge abyss, never to be addressed or even acknowledged by the prospective employer. When that happens, it can leave you with a sense of low self-esteem and/or low productivity. In “How to Send a Resume to Get More Job Offers,” Noelle Gross Career Strategy explains how to ditch that feeling of being overlooked, and instead get your foot in the door at your dream company. Here are two key takeaways:

First, it’s important to prepare your resume for the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), a software that hiring managers use to sort through resumes. If you have questions about your resume or want to make sure that the recent updates you’ve made to it really speak to the position you’re applying for, use Cancer and Careers’ Resume Review Service. Simply upload your resume, and a professional career coach will provide personalized feedback, free of charge!

Second, one way to circumvent the ATS is to get in touch with someone at the company directly. If you don’t personally know anyone who works there, try to figure out who the relevant insiders are and reach out to them via both LinkedIn and email. If your LinkedIn profile needs some freshening up first — or the mere thought of using the popular professional networking platform gives you agita — watch the archived version of our webinar on how to create a strong LinkedIn profile, which is part of our Balancing Work & Cancer webinar series.

For the complete Noelle Gross article, click here.

If you’re currently on the hunt for a new job, below are some additional helpful resources:

• For tips on how to write a compelling resume and/or cover letter, click here.
• For ways to manage your online footprint, click here.
• For advice on networking your way to a job, click here.
• For ideas on exploring alternative job paths, click here.
• For interviewing tips, click here.
• To download or order a free copy of our Job Search Toolkit, click here.
• To ask a career coach your pressing question, click here.