Here's something I see constantly as a recruiter

Have you heard the rumor that recruiters spend, maybe, 10 seconds reviewing a single resume?

(Me, raising my hand): yes, that’s me, the recruiter who reads quickly.

In a hiring process, most hiring managers want the role filled very quickly. The recruiter does too, and the recruiter is probably are hiring for multiple roles at the same time.

No hiring team is evil, rooting against job seekers, or naive. But most hiring teams are short on time, and looking for direct connections on resumes, compared to what they are hiring for. Because of that, it’s very important to make sure you are using the right language in your resume.

Here are a few ways to make your resume stand out in a job search:

- Bulletpoints are usually the #1 place where job seekers undersell their experience. Your bulletpoints should not only say what you did, but they should also convey what the results of what your work were. Writing hundreds of Instagram postings in your recent marketing role? That’s great. Writing hundreds of Instagram postings that resulted in a 45% follower increase and 8% YOY revenue increase? That’s major.

- Showcase the context. When I work with my career coaching clients, I recommend describing the business, the department, and even the scale of your team and projects. This is a great place to utilize numebrs.

- Make the keywords count. Most people are worried about how ATS systems will review their resume. Here’s your biggest tip there: the industry keywords and technical skills from your job postings should be showing up consistently through your resume.

There’s so much more where that came from, and that’s why I’m glad you’re here with me in this newly created blog. These are real factors I watch play out in hiring decisions every week that impact real people getting in or out of interview processes. I’m here to help you succeed!

Talk soon,
Nicole