So you've got your resume
together and it’s looking good. You've got your past experience laid out
clearly, you have an appropriate level of detail about the things you've done. You've got your academic qualifications listed out in the right order and
again, the right level of detail. You've got no gaps anywhere. No rambling
personal statements. A couple of things you do outside work for conversation
starters. It’s good. Well done. You’re not getting a job.
Talk to anyone who works in
recruiting for a large employer and they’ll tell you about the stack of resumes
they have to go through. A lot of people I know work for corporate recruiting
departments; these are hard working and diligent people, but they’ve got 500
resumes to review in a day alongside all their other responsibilities. How long
do you think they’re going to spend on each one? The average works out to be
about 10 seconds. You have 10 seconds to find your way from the ‘for review’
pile into the ‘of interest’ pile. That’s the stack that gets a second sweep. If you want to get a job, you have to pass the ten second
test. There are no exceptions.
Here’s 5 pieces of advice that
will help you survive the first cut.
Layout
A lot of people who hit the ‘no
interest’ stack do so because the recruiter can’t see what they’re looking for
during the ten seconds, not because it isn’t there. Make sure the layout is
very clear. Use large bold headings that communicate the information everyone
is looking for.
Job titles are the most important thing
Nothing on your resume matters
more than the jobs you have done. Job titles should match the job you want. Don’t
use internal language specific to the company you worked at. You were a
Planning Engineer. So the job title is Planning Engineer. That’s what everyone’s
looking for – show them it. Do not have headings like ‘Project Controls
Coordinator – Section 4’ just because that’s what they called it at ABC Ltd.
Call it what the market calls it. It’s Planning Engineer. In a lot of cases the
first sweep of your resume is being undertaken by a pretty junior person. Not
everyone at this level is an expert. In some cases, if you use any term other
than the job title they are recruiting for, you could end up in the ‘no’ stack simply
because the entry-level HR person doesn’t now that a Planning Engineer might be
called a Commercial Manager in some roles.
Length
You can’t view an 8 page resume
in 10 seconds. Period. No, you don’t want a one page resume. But four is
getting to be too long, even if you have a lot of experience. 2-3 pages is
good.
Bullets, not paragraphs
It’s time for poetry, not prose.
Think modern minimalism, not classic novel.
- Get the main point across
- Don’t duplicate anything
- Don’t use adjectives or floral languag
I see so many resumes that insist
on descriptive writing. Frankly, if you can’t write a haiku that fully sums up your job seeking
aspirations, then you’re over thinking it. This will also help with the overall
length of your resume.
Planning engineer
Worked on oil and gas projects
Seeks job in Houston
No gaps in any information
Ambiguity does not leave the door
open for more opportunity in this environment. You need to make sure you’re
covering all the elements that people are scanning. Not identifying where you
want to work, will not leave all options open. You can’t go in the ‘of interest’
stack if you haven’t made your intentions clear. Available for work anywhere in the continental US is fine. Just don’t
leave anyone guessing, they won’t bother to guess, they’ll just dump you and
move on to resume 347.
Once you’re in the 'of interest' stack, you’ll get a second review with the attention and care that you deserve.
But don’t ever underestimate how important it is to make the first sweep. You
may be a Director, you may have graduated college 3 weeks ago – you’ll all be in
the first stack together. Nobody gets a pass.
You can find more information on
how to avoid the pitfalls of bad resumes by downloading our free white paper with resume advice.
