In general, recruiters take only 6 seconds to get an impression of your resume. That is very short so the first impression needs to be eye-catching. You are certainly not going to be hired when your resume doesn’t make it through the initial screening.
So what is exactly what they are looking for at first sight? We give you 10 things to consider to make a killer resume.
- Make it easy to read
It may sound obvious but have a clean layout with plenty of white space. Use bulleted lists for the most important facts so that it is easy to see for the recruiter. - Tailor your resume to the job that you desire
A generally written resume doesn’t cut it. In the now-a-days digital age it is not difficult to tweak your resume to the specific job you are applying for.
- No personal stuff
Recruiters are looking for your skills, experience, and your talents. They are not interested in your hobbies or volunteer activities. - Include your accomplishments
Have a clear list of your job-related accomplishments and when possible include specific numbers to show just exactly how much your accomplishments were a benefit for your past employers. Better say you saved the business $50,000 by decreasing production costs without losing quality that simply saying you reduce production costs. - Focus on the future
Getting a new interview is much easier when you show your potential and desire. Create a fantastic resume by focusing on things that show a path to your new future career you are aiming for. No need to list your entire career and educational history. - Prioritize
Put your most important accomplishments near the top of the resume. In that way, the recruiter reads them first. That will neatly fit into those 6 seconds of attention he gives your resume. - Write it well
Avoid grammatical errors and misspelled words. Let somebody else proofread your resume before sending it out. Make sure what you have written makes sense and that your qualifications are clear. - Use no jargon
Write simple and using industry buzzwords is a big noon. It makes you look trying too hard. - Include no liabilities
Don’t include anything that puts you at a disadvantage in the eyes of the recruiter. No information on long-term absence due to illness or whatever reason, or a dislike of numbers, paper works, etc. Doing this will result in finding your resume in the discard pile. - Share your passion
Emphasize the skills and work activities you really love so your passion for your industry shines through. Never talk about things you might be good at but don’t really like. This will make the job interview difficult.
In general when you write a clean and well organized resume with the most important items up at the top and focused on the skills needed and available and you show passion for your work you will be set to have your resume picked out for a job interview.