HOW TO CRAFT RESUMES THAT RECRUITERS CAN’T RESIST

It stands to reason that everyone here is proficient in the art of the resume. It’s a major decision that could either pave the way for exciting new professional opportunities or completely change one’s life.

The reality, however, is quite different; many applicants simply aren’t good writers.

In light of this, we have compiled a short but essential checklist to help you craft resumes and cover letters that will have hiring managers begging for more. 

1. CREATE AN INTERESTING JOB RESPONSE/CAREER SUMMARY

Your name and contact information will likely appear at the top of a recruiter’s list, but it’s your career summary that should really stand out. Briefly (one to two paragraphs), explain to the recruiter why you’re the perfect person for the job. If you do a good job of selling yourself in your career summary, the recruiter will be eager to meet with you after reading it; the rest of your CV will serve merely to corroborate the information presented there. Since the qualifications for each position are different, it goes without saying that your career summary will need to be adjusted and revised for each application you submit. 

2. STICK TO FACTS, NOT OPINIONS

Recruiters can evaluate your qualifications and determine whether or not you’d be a good fit for their company based on the information you provide. The claims that can be supported by evidence are the ones that are signalled by facts. Statements like “a great team leader,” “a high performing salesperson,” and “a top performer within the organisation” are commonplace in job applications. They don’t mean anything to a recruiter. By themselves, they provide the hiring manager with no assurance that you are who you say you are and that you have the skills you claim to have.

Examine each and every claim you made in your applications and see if it holds water. How might you rephrase these so that the recruiter is able to draw their own conclusions based on the information provided? Can you see how these statements are much more convincing and provide the recruiter with a deeper understanding of your qualifications?

– One of the top ten percent of billers in their company

– A fantastic manager of a group of 12 people

– Annual reviews have consistently given me an A+, and I’m one of the fastest rising stars in my department.

Claims that can be more closely examined and verified add weight to the argument and give the reader more confidence in the author’s veracity. 

3. CHECK FOR ERRORS AND INCONSISTENCIES

Having a gap in your resume’s employment history can have disastrous consequences. The recruiter is likely to make a negative assumption about anything you don’t mention. Have you decided against disclosing your final grades because they were lower than you had hoped? Avoid giving the impression to recruiters that you got the lowest possible score by not including it. It’s the same with the blank spots in your CV/Resume, those times in your life when it’s not clear what you were up to. Once again, this may raise red flags. In any case, even a single line outlining your activities during that time is preferable to nothing at all.

Your CV/Resume and LinkedIn profile should be identical, so any discrepancies there would be a red flag. You can rest assured that any potential interviewers will look you up on LinkedIn to see if you have any recommendations or other relevant information posted there. To avoid having the recruiter question your honesty, double-check all of the details of your application. It’s not uncommon for even the most qualified candidates to submit incomplete applications, so double-check everything before sending in your resumes.

4. KEEP IT SIMPLE

If possible, keep your resume or CV to one page. That is to say, all of the information about you that a potential employer needs to know can be found on a single page of your CV, including your contact information, a career summary, your education, your work history, and any other relevant interests. Instead of just decreasing the font size, you should try to be more concise in your writing. Make it simple for the recruiter to locate the information that will convince them to give you a call for an interview. Discard any information that isn’t directly relevant to the task at hand. When it comes to the length of your resume, less is more.

Depending on the industry, it may be standard practise to include an additional page or two detailing your experience, projects, productions, business turnarounds, etc. The rule of thumb of keeping your resume to one page remains largely unchanged; after reading it, a recruiter should have enough information to decide whether or not to schedule an interview with you. 

5. Keep away from BLUNDERS!

Here are some common ones to avoid: 

– Is there a professional tone to your email address? It is shocking how many applicants still use non-professional email addresses for serious work. Instead of using a revealing address like partygirl@ or lakersfan@, get something more generic.

– Carefully consider the name you give your resume’s or CV’s file. The name you give the file you save in shouldn’t reveal anything about you. Many applicants include dates in their filenames, which can give the impression that you’ve been desperately seeking employment for a long time. Some applicants use filenames that make it seem as though they are applying for jobs across multiple industries and aren’t particularly interested in working in your field. The Paul White Transportation CV makes one wonder, “What other industries is Paul applying to?”

– Before sending in your applications, make sure that your social media profiles are all set to private. In today’s world, you can’t help but think that a potential employer might Google you and form impressions based on what they find there, including your social media profiles. The onus is on you to take charge, update your profiles so that they look polished, and adjust the privacy settings on any profiles you want to keep private.

Make use of the aforementioned advice the next time you are filling out a job application, and you will likely stand out as a candidate that recruiters can’t pass up.