We hear it all the time: the average recruiter spends six seconds scanning your resume. That\u2019s right, six seconds decides your future.<\/p>\n
So how to you pass this test? How do you, second by second, impress a recruiter enough to earn a second look \u2013 and perhaps win the interview?<\/p>\n
To help answer those questions, here is exactly what I look for when I glance at your resume the first time \u2013 and determine pass or fail.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t for me. It\u2019s for the Applicant Tracking System my company (and most companies) use to filter out unqualified applicants.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be intimidated, though. Use of keywords does not need to be complicated. After all, the right keywords are found in almost every job description. Just use the employer\u2019s own words to customize your resume and you should be in great shape. Want to go the extra mile? Use common industry terms to demonstrate knowledge of your craft. To show you\u2019re a good fit at a specific company, use the exact words from their careers page to describe your personal culture.<\/p>\n
Fail to include these relevant keywords \u2013 and your resume won\u2019t last one second.<\/p>\n
Like many decision makers, I live in a digital world \u2013 so I want to see links to your career-relevant social media profiles.<\/p>\n
Typically, LinkedIn and Twitter are enough to show a professional presence. If you would also like to send me to link to Facebook and other sites, that is fine. Just know I will use whatever I see on these more personal websites to help make my decision about you.<\/p>\n
Why do I care about your social media presence in second two of my resume review? Because if I\u2019m interested in talking with you, I\u2019m going to check you out online anyway. And you get extra points for making that part of my job easier.<\/p>\n
Yes, white space counts, a lot.<\/p>\n
If your resume is packed into a document at 0.4\u201d margins and 9 point fonts with no space between sections and paragraphs \u2013 this shows me you\u2019re trying WAY too hard. Essentially, your resume is screaming \u201cI\u2019m desperate to impress\u2026 please like me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t kill your resume in 3 seconds. Let white space serve as a brain pause for the reader of your resume \u2013 and allow them a moment to think about your fit in this role.<\/p>\n
When I look at a resume, I don\u2019t care WHAT you did at your last job. I want to see evidence that you were good at your job.<\/p>\n
That means your resume must contain quantified statements like \u201cexceeded quota by 132%\u201d, \u201cMet deadlines in 97% of assigned projects\u201d and \u201cmanaged highly successful event for 500 donors.\u201d Even a more generic \u201cconsistently in the Top 5% of my team\u201d is better than nothing \u2013 and shows you understand how performance is measured.<\/p>\n
No quantified statements on your resume? Your resume didn\u2019t make it four seconds, and I\u2019m now looking for another candidate who can clearly demonstrate how they made a real impact.<\/p>\n
What is \u201csocial proof\u201d?<\/p>\n
Simply put, social proof is evidence that you are who you say are. For example, if you say you are an accomplished marketer, I should see evidence to support that claim. Perhaps industry awards, endorsements by an industry expert or being named to a \u201cTop 50\u201d list.<\/p>\n
Through links in your resume, show me proof of your relevant accomplishments. And by second five, you are well on your way to impressing me. Without those links, you\u2019re just another applicant taking about themselves in rosy, perhaps exaggerated, terms.<\/p>\n
This is the last major obstacle in your path. Why? Because employers don\u2019t just want you to be a good employee now. They are looking for good leaders three years from now.<\/p>\n
Have you been a leader? Do you embrace assignments well outside your job description \u2013 and maybe well outside your comfort zone? Do you accept the responsibility of building a good team? Or\u2026 are you the type that just does what you\u2019re told in the background?<\/p>\n
If I can tell you are the type that leads, regardless of the title at your last job, you have passed my six second test. And you are on well your way to an interview, and perhaps a job.<\/p>\n
Apply this six second test to your resume. Then ask yourself\u2026 will you pass, or fail?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We hear it all the time: the average recruiter spends six seconds scanning your resume. That\u2019s right, six seconds decides your future. So how to you pass this test? How do you, second by second, impress a recruiter enough to earn a second look \u2013 and perhaps win the interview? To help answer those questions, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":6429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,4],"tags":[68],"class_list":["post-6427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviewing","category-public-sector-trends","tag-resumes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n