Advice from a Recruiter on How to Improve Your Resume and Earn an Interview

Most people have applied for jobs during their careers; in fact, most will do it every few years, either by choice or by necessity. Did you ever wonder why, when your skills seem to be a perfect fit for a position, you didn't earn an interview? Did you ever wonder just how you could improve your chances of doing so? Read on, and this recruiter will provide some helpful tips on doing just that.

Every Human Resources department has its own approach to reviewing resumes, but each one is focused on efficiency. At any given time, a recruiter might receive hundreds of resumes for an open position, and there simply isn't time to read every single one, word-for-word. In fact, some recruiters won't even get past your first paragraph.

So how do you craft a resume that won't simply end up in the circular file, e.g. the trashcan? First, procure a good resume handbook. Second, follow the advice in said handbook. Truly, a busy recruiter will toss your resume for any of the following infractions:

-Forgetting to place your name at the top of your resume, or anywhere in the document
-Spelling errors
-Typographical mistakes
-Not clearly identifying where you are currently working and where you have worked in the past
-Not clearly identifying your actual dates of employment

Is your resume now error free? Does it list all relevant and applicable information, including your name? You may think that this is enough to save you from the circular file; you're wrong. Did you ever wonder who exactly reviews your resume? It's not often someone truly familiar with the role for which you're applying. Are you a software engineer? Software engineers do not usually review resumes, at least not all of them-recruiters do. And while a larger company might have specialists who get to know particular departments, such as engineering, they still aren't likely to be engineers themselves. A smaller company may pay an HR specialist outsourcer to assist with recruiting; these people are even less likely to understand the role for which you are applying, as they are a separate company operating as consultants for the hiring company. What does this mean for you?

Your resume is your opportunity to show the recruiter that you have the skills and experiences required for the position. Review the job posting and identify key words; pay particular attention to those skills or experiences noted as "Required" or "Preferred." The prospective employer is not kidding-they actually are seeking candidates with these key skills or experiences. If you feel you have met the requirements of the job posting, review your resume. Use a quick CTRL-F or other "find" command to search your resume for all of the key terms you just highlighted in the job posting. Are they all in your resume? More importantly, are they each listed under a relevant job description, or are they only listed under your Qualifications heading? Many recruiters will simply discard your resume if you do not have all of the required skills and most of the preferred skills. Further, if you only list the required skills under a Qualifications heading, and not as part of your description of actual work experience, the recruiter will move on to another resume that more closely meets the needs of the employer.

A busy recruiter will do whatever it takes to review a pile of resumes quickly and efficiently. By tossing those resumes with errors first, s/he shortens the pile of resumes. By performing a "find" command and searching on key terms, the recruiter shortens that pile even more. This final pile of resumes is the pile of resumes the recruiter will concentrate on, and this is the pile you want your resume to be in.