Top Tricks to Get Your Resume Read

Reports show that hiring managers and recruiters only spend 20-30 seconds reviewing resumes … that’s not a lot of time to get noticed.

Have your resume stand out!

Format is very important – it must be written in neat paragraphs and easy to scan because employers receive 100’s of resumes each day and you want to make sure yours is getting noticed.

When developing your resume a summary of your career highlights and/or accomplishments on the top of the page is a good way to introduce your skills. Most recruiters/hiring managers prefer bullets over long drawn out paragraphs. This is a high level overview of your experience, not a bio – so be sure to keep it concise.

Chronological resumes are also preferred over functional – recruiters want to see how long you have stayed at each job and if your career has advanced over the years.

Be sure to also include location, industry background, your title, years of employment and your education or other skills such as computer skills or certifications.

Skills to highlight:

1. Attention to Detail: did you follow detailed procedures to ensure accuracy in documentation and data, or did you organize and maintain a system of records.
2. Commitment to Task: are you able to take responsibility for actions and outcomes and persist despite obstacles, or have you shown a sense of urgency in completing a time sensitive project?
3. Communication: are you able to clearly present information either verbally or written, interact effectively with customers, clients or your superiors?
4. Continuous Learning: have you stayed informed of current industry trends, or continued education, etc.
5. Customer Focus: able to demonstrate a high level of service, do what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction, prioritize customer needs.
6. Initiative: prepare for problems or opportunities in advance, transform leads into productive business outcomes, able to take additional responsibilities.
7. Leadership: able to assume a role of authority as necessary, advocate new ideas empower your team.

Edit and go get ’em. Here’s to your success!