Resume Tips from a Corporate Recruiter

As a sometimes recruiter for a large corporation, I see a lot of resumes. Some are obviously better than others. However, many of the resumes that I see could really be so much better if the candidates just kept a few things in mind when writing them. Candidates must keep in mind that the resume has to impress the recruiter enough to get passed along to the hiring manager. For every one resume that I forward to a hiring manager, there are at least five others that don't get anywhere because of these issues below.

The first thing to remember is that the goal is to present enough information to get an interview. This can take some effort of the author's part because it is very easy to write way too much in a resume. Most recruiters prefer a one or two page resume. This is an adequate length for most positions. I believe that only very high-level, executive positions should have resumes that are longer than two pages.

When writing a resume, try to focus on the information that directly relates to the position for which you are applying. For example, if you worked as a florist for a few years but are now applying to be a Contracts Manager, do not describe every detail involved in your work as a florist. Try to highlight the skills that you learned from being a florist that can help you as a Contracts Manager.

Secondly, customize your objective to each job. When I read a resume and the objective is to "work in a successful career", I have gained no more insight into the candidate by reading that. If that candidate had taken the time to construct an objective that showed me why they want the specific job, I would be way more inclined to pass the resume forward to the hiring manager.

In addition, for most jobs it is not necessary to list your hobbies and outside interests unless they are clearly related to the job. However, in most cases these things rarely affect the ability to do the job and only end up taking up precious space on the resume.

Finally, please use spell check. Recruiters know this is an automatic feature in every word processing program. If I see spelling mistakes on a resume, it just indicates to me that you didn't bother to take five extra minutes to focus on this very important detail.