Ever submit your resume to a hundred companies only to get zero callbacks?
Turns out, it likely had little to do with your qualifications and more to do with automated recruiting systems blocking your resume because of incompatible formatting or a lack of keyword stuffing.
“If you’re constantly looking for a position and you’re constantly getting kicked to the curb, how would that make you feel?” said Jennifer Sethre, the founder and CEO of a new Austin company called Intry. “Our mantra is, ‘You don’t suck.’ Because it’s not you — it’s them.”
Our mantra is, 'You don't suck.' Because it's not you — it's them."
Sethre, a serial tech entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience, is launching Intry to help ensure your resume actually makes it in front of a real recruiter next time.
“We’re trying to disrupt a broken system and shine a light on people so they aren’t invisible,” said Sethre.
The startup uses machine learning algorithms to identify what variables prevent resumes from being pushed through a recruiter's applicant tracking system (ATS). These factors vary among software providers but can include a number of details like font size. Using this data, Intry’s platform then builds resumes that adhere to ATS guidelines to ensure they get noticed.
“I applied for 37 positions that I was 80 percent to 99 percent qualified for,” said Sethre. “I didn’t get one callback. Not one. Zero.”
But when Sethre tested Intry’s ATS-friendly resume-building tool for 10 positions, she said she received eight callbacks. Her colleagues had similar experiences as well.
“80 percent is pretty good, but we’re striving for 100 percent,” said Sethre.
Sethre said she hopes Intry’s system will connect job seekers with opportunities they’re energized about rather than ones they settle for by necessity. It’s an approach she said benefits both the employee and the employer.
“Candidates send out resumes and don’t get any callbacks,” said Sethre. “When they finally do get a call, they get the job — but it’s not the one they want. They have student loans, car insurance, health insurance and rent to pay for, so they take the job. Nine months in, they hate it, so they start looking and leave.”
While companies of all stripes feel the pain of millennial turnover, Sethre said no company has yet to identify a solution that focuses on candidates first.
If Intry gets it right, Sethre and co. could be solving a problem that costs companies across the United States $30 billion a year.
“[Millennials] want to feel fulfilled in their careers,” said Sethre. “I think generations before were just happy to have a job and got fulfillment in other places — not just at work. But millennials and Gen Z want their work to matter and want to be part of something that’s more important.”
Intry has six full-time employees plus a team of contractors. Sethre, who bootstrapped the startup, said they recently secured a team of investors and are actively looking for the next round.
