These days an employer will spend a mere six seconds reading your resume. How did it come to this?
Most job postings receive hundreds of applications and will be from people who aren’t even remotely qualified for the job. Result? No human being will end up looking at a majority of résumés submitted. So those resumes that recruiters do look at will receive seconds of attention.
Your resume is the CliffsNotes to your working life. It’s an opportunity to pack your most important accomplishments into a single large-font document. It must convince recruiters that you’re worth investigating further. Only then will they take the time to look at your portfolio links and reach out to your references.
Here’s how to make the most of your six seconds:
- Only use one page.
- Don’t include a photo. It won’t increase the amount of time recruiters spend on your resume.
- Typos kill. Many executives rule out candidates who even have one typo.
- Use keywords carefully. Read the job description carefully. Pattern your own use of keywords after the employer’s.
- Use a headline. The most important part of your resume, the headline should be brief, with a larger font. Highlight your experience explicitly. Minus job experience, but attended a prestigious university, use this in your headline.
- For each relevant job, write the name of the company, a basic description of what the company does, your job title, dates of employment, a one-line description of your responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Keep your education section as brief as possible. Put it at the bottom of the page, and only list your high school if you did not attend college.
Regardless of how you reach recruiters, put in the time to make sure your resume does a good job selling you. Be factual and respectful of recruiters’ time. This will set you up for success in the interviewing process to come.
