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Searching Best Practices Power Resume Search

Ready to take your search to the next level? Check out the following tips to make every search a success.

Tip #1: Review the Basic & Advanced Search Options

The Basic Search Criteria available on the main Power Resume Search page are: Job title, Years of Experience, Location, Skills/Keywords and Resume Updated.

You can refine your search further by clicking on Show Advanced Search Options at the top left.

Keep in mind that some of the search options are required in the candidate profile, and others are not.

Available options:

  • Education
  • Company
  • Candidate Name
  • University/College
  • Maximum Salary
  • Job type & Duration
  • Willingness to Travel & Relocation

Tip #2: Use a Broad Job Title

As a general rule, make the job title broader and use Skills/Keywords to narrow the focus and results. If you are looking for a Software Project Manager, do a job title search for “Project Manager” and insert “Software” as a skill.

Power Resume Search automatically searches for relevant concepts, typographical variations and more. So, if you are looking for a “Sales Manager,” then “Account Manager” will automatically be considered as well. Avoid using company specific titles, abbreviations and focus on industry standards.

  • The type ahead feature only displays recommendations of popular job titles. But remember, it is not necessary to select your job titles from this list. You can type in your own as well.

Tip #3: Enter 3-5 Skills/Keywords

Enter relevant skills and keywords into the boxes with one term per box. You can enter up to 20 by clicking Add another skill or keyword but we recommend entering 3-5 skills for the best results.

You can also define whether you want each skill to be Required or Nice to Have. If you set a skill to Required, any candidates who do not have that skill will be eliminated from the search results. A Nice to Have skill will never limit your results, but rather sort them to bring those with that skill on top.

  • The type-ahead feature provides the most popular list of concepts but it goes beyond what is displayed. It’s okay if you don’t see what you’re searching for. Just enter the skills and keywords that are important to the position and let Monster do the rest.

Tip #4: Enter Just One Entry per Field

To maximize your results, make sure you enter only one job title, one skill and one location in each field:

To add multiple job titles and locations, show the advanced search options and click on Add another. You can add up to 5 job titles and 5 locations.

Tip #5: Search for All Resumes First

In the Resume Updated field, the search engine will default to searching all Resumes as it is best practice to start with all the candidates before narrowing this filter. Here are a few reasons searching all resumes is the best place to start:

  • Your ideal candidate could be currently employed, not actively looking, but open to considering an appealing offer.
  • Potential candidates may be in a more passive state. Even though their resumes haven’t been updated, they could be open to the right opportunity.

  • Messaging candidates who have not updated their resume recently require a compelling message. Sell them on your opportunity. You might be surprised how many responses you receive.

When you first begin a search for a position that you’ve never recruited for before, it’s sometimes helpful to do a nationwide search first, using ONLY the job title. Once you find candidates that look like the type of person you are trying to recruit, examine the Candidate Detail tab attached to the resume.

Here you will find a section called Skills Match. When you expand the field, you’ll see EVERY skill that the candidate has on their resume, translated into searchable Monster concepts. Pick out the skills that look like they will give you the best candidate mix and use them for your next search.

You can use this strategy to find candidates for ANY position you’re recruiting for.

Tip #7: Refine Your Results

We strongly recommend narrowing down your search with additional criteria until your results are in the 100-200 range. Then, you’ll know the candidates that you choose to contact will meet your specific qualifications. You can adjust your search criteria in the panel on the left-hand side of the Search Results page:

Tip #8: Save Your Searches

You can save your search and receive an email notification when new candidates who match your search are found. Just click Save this search on the left-hand side of the screen.

Then, enter a descriptive name for your search, select how often you would like the search results delivered to you, and type in your email address. Click Save when done.

  • You can view and manage your saved searches by hovering over My Candidates in the menu and select Saved Searches. Keep in mind that you can save up to 10 searches with Power Resume Search and up to 10 searches with Classic Search.

Tip #9: Monitor Your Usage

You can check your inventory at any time. Sign into your account and click on the settings icon at the top of the page. Then click Inventory Detail.

The Inventory Detail page shows the inventory that is available company-wide. You will see the number of views purchased, used and remaining.

Bonus Tip: Prefer Boolean Logic?

Power Resume Search allows you switch to Classic Search in case you would like to run a search using Boolean keywords.

Review our article to learn more about Boolean Operators and Commands.