Dear Job Seeker, Be Found

Your Resume Is Key, Make It Count!

Let's Go Over Submitting Your Resume To A Specific Job Posting First

If it takes more than 3 pages for Talent Acquisition or a Hiring Manager to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications to move forward and possibly interview, we need to fix that ??.

You have found a role you would like to apply for and after reading the job description, you take a look at your Resume. Could it read like a better match? Do you think it will stand out from other applicants enough to move you forward for consideration? Other applications are doing their due diligence, so my advice is to do just a bit more ??.

Let’s look at the latter half of your Resume. That's right, I'm starting at the end because it is the easiest way to trim the fluff and upgrade your Resume ??.

Do you need to include everything you currently have listed in the bottom portion of your Resume? Or better, yet, as a fail safe, if you cannot find several qualifications listed in the job description in the bottom half of your Resume....it's time to trim trim trim ? ? ?

Knowing What To Keep & What To Ditch

If your Resume is filled with too much, you may not stand out as an applicant. Here are some things to consider ditching if irrelevant to the Job Posting?

?Experience from 15, 20, 25+ years ago

?Pre-professional work experience

?Every minute detail of your work experience and statement of works

?Repetitive points. Don't be that person that invents new ways of saying the same thing.

?Essay Format. If your resume reads more like a essay filled with thick paragraphs, I'd rethink your format. Think back to junior high when we had to make outlines before starting the essay. Your goal is to get closer to that outline format for your Resume.

You want your main qualifications to stand out EARLY, this is NOT the time to save the best for last

Once you have analyzed the latter half of your resume, let's head on over to the top of your Resume, starting with your Header and Objective.

The Header: Your Header gives you the opportunity to include your contact information, the link to your Linkedin profile, and anything else you may want to showcase via hyperlink

The Objective: Toss in the Job Title listed on the posting (word for word), any qualifications that you can pull from the minimum qualifications listed in the job description to capture the Recruiter's attention right away  ??.

Relevant Skills/Qualifications/Education/Certifications: Take another look at the Job Posting you are applying to, what is called out as a MUST have? Can you add any of those exact keywords to the section right below your objective? Maybe a specific degree/GPA is requested? Or there may be a minimum years of a particular experience listed as required? Include any of the above as well as anything u can speak to mentioned in the Job Posting's qualifications' section and put all of that in the upper half of your resume before the work experience??. 

Work Experience: Try and keep it clean and concise (think back to the outline comment I referenced earlier ??). Your most recent/relevant experience will be key to showcasing how well u qualify for the opportunity. Speak to achievements and accomplishments, hurdles jumped and/or impressive data points and success stories.

??BONUS TIP ? As u get to half way down your resume, start bolding, italicizing or bulleting any key points you want to stand out from there on to make it easy for the recruiter to see how well you qualify quickly!

Submitting Your General Resume For Consideration Of A Company's Current & Future Career Opportunities

Did you know that many in Talent Acquisition will browse their company's Applicant Tracking System (the system that houses ALL applicants), to see who they can find to fill their open roles? With that said, make yourself easy to be found!??

You never know what can come from submitting your general resume, the version of your resume you decide you are not tailoring for a specific open job listing. It is possible this version looks more like your Linkedin profile, but it's best to keep it concise and to the point, whereas in your Linkedin profile, you can elaborate galore. In this version of your resume, it is key that you include all keywords & competencies that could help you be found by a Recruiter looking for talent with your background?.

Beyond that,

Highlight Your Core Skills, Accomplishments & Achievements

When interviewing, you will most likely be asked at some point what you have accomplished or how have you directly impacted something. Show how you owned or solved something that resulted in a successful outcome. Explain the levels of responsibility you have experience with. Think about about some of the times where you turned a negative into a positive, reached an important milestone/goal, or got outside of your comfort zone resulting in a successful outcome?

I recently read a tip to be sure include "quantifiable" accomplishments/metrics in your resume and I think there is something to that advice, if you can quantify your achievements, it looks clean. Hiring Managers love to know just what potential value you can bring to their team so if you can make yourself shine without going overboard, I say go for it!

???♀?But maybe you want include more? I get it...do that in your Linkedin Profile! Linkedin is there to back up your Resume with all the extras...those references, soft skills, your personal brand, and your experience in more detail??.

You got this! Make it easy for Talent Acquisition to find you by following some of the above advice!

I hope that at least some of these tips help you create a top notch Resume moving forward. I will be continuing to post #resumetips and #jobsearch advice to help you land that next interview. In the meantime, take a look below for some more job seeking tips to absorb???

Marketing Your Expertise

Source Your Dream Job Like A Recruiter Would