How to Ensure Your Resume is Read by Recruiters
It's a pretty standard misconception that recruiters do not read resumes. The truth is, though, that they sift through hundreds of these documents every day! That said, your resume needs to stand out in the oversaturated pool if it really wants to get noticed. There are some proven ways you can up your chances at getting an interview. They may seem odd, but they work surprisingly well. These tips will have you getting noticed by all the right people in no time!
1) Use visuals like graphs or charts whenever possible and where relevant - it often helps illustrate points clearly and concisely in a way words cannot achieve on their own. This works particularly well for technical job listings.
2) Keep it to one page. If you are a recent graduate or inexperienced in your field, this can be the difference between an interview and no interview. Find ways to get the most important things across on just one page. Also, if you can't do this, it's okay to have a second resume - totaling two pages (you focus on strengths while your friend/relative focuses on weaknesses). Recruiters are often busy and don't have time to read through a three-page resume or learn every detail of a job candidate's history when they're looking for quick results.
3) Use bold and italics to highlight items of particular importance. Boring resume documents come off as flat and uninteresting.
4) Use bullet points to highlight the most important points in your resume. This is the document you want the recruiters to read, so it's worth spending more time on. We often recommend that you write down each of your accomplishments in an "impact" format; list these accomplishments with a brief description before each bullet point of how they impacted you. The Washington Post suggested this method and we think it's a great way to start: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/01/AR2005080100142.html
5) Use a more creative format to help attract attention, but be sure to still make it easy for the recruiter to read the information with ease. This can be done by dividing up your resume into sections or even by making it into a timeline of your history. The key is to keep the information clear and simple while also making it interesting enough to grab someone's attention.
6) Include a cover letter, if relevant. A well-written cover letter can be an excellent opportunity to explain why you have the necessary skills and background to make a great addition to the team. Be sure to include why you are interested in the job and what you will bring to it.
7) Use a font that is easy for the recruiter (or anyone else reading it) to read, and remember that different fonts for headings and regular font for body is good. Times New Roman is probably best, but do not use any novelty or cartoonish ones.
8) Don't focus too much on your weaknesses. It's okay to take the time to highlight your strengths, but don't risk boring the recruiter with too much of that detail. Save it for your interview if you really want to make a strong impression; instead, talk about something specific that will be beneficial for the job.
9) Use short sentences and keep them short. Remember, recruiters have busy schedules - they are not going to sit down and read through a huge resume just to see where it goes (especially if it's a long document!). If you have several accomplishments or areas of expertise, consider breaking this information up into smaller chunks, which will help keep them organized and make the document easier to read.
10) Be careful not to use too much jargon. What you think might be an impressive sounding sentence will likely just confuse them and end up sending you straight into the "no" pile. Make sure to use language that is easy to follow and understand so they don't have any trouble getting an idea of what you can do.
11) Don't oversell yourself - a humble approach will help if you are a recent grad or have little experience. Recruiters want people who have an eye on the future and are looking to grow and develop their career, but they don't want someone that's going to come in and try to walk all over everyone else in the office about how great they are.
12) Apply online wherever possible. Trying to write a resume specifically for each individual company in the United States can be time-consuming, especially if you have a lot of different positions to showcase your skills in. Instead, use an online application where you can upload your resume (if you don't have anything to upload, use this template ), and employers will review it regardless of what they are looking for. Recruiters review hundreds of these applications every day; they will get back to you promptly and often send out follow-up emails.
13) Keep the formatting clear and concise. Use bold, italics, or bullet points to help emphasize key areas of your resume. Don't get carried away with this - it's not a creative writing class! The information you are adding should be presented in a way that is easy to understand and read. And, if at all possible, try to avoid handwriting everything (nothing looks more unprofessional than chicken scratch).
14) Make sure you have an up-to-date email address that you check often. If the recruiter doesn't have any way of contacting you then they won't waste their time calling your number or sending a letter just to hear nothing in response. If you don't have an email address, get one. If you can't check it regularly, set it up to forward your messages and calls to your mobile phone or another email account.
15) Be sure and proofread everything before you submit it. Once you've finished the resume, leave it unstudied for a few hours or even overnight and come back to read over it the next day. This will help you notice mistakes that might have slipped through while you were editing and trying to add everything in quickly.
16) Keep it clean. A lot of recruiters are going to rely on the internet and your resume to learn more about you; be sure that they have a good impression of you before they even consider interviewing you.
17) Use a PDF format instead of sending them a Word document. That way, the formatting is not lost and it's easy for the recruiter to forward the resume via email, text, or whatever else is convenient for them. Plain text is best because most people don't want their resume filled with someone else's formatting (unless requested, of course). PDFs also never get erased or accidentally deleted from your hard drive like Word files can.
Conclusion
Your resume is a key piece of the puzzle that will help you land an interview. Treat it as a valuable tool, and don't use it just to get by. Use it to show off your accomplishments and let recruiters know that they need you on their team!
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net / neilmed - free for personal use under a Creative Commons License.
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