The Real Reason Recruiters Toss A Resume
J.T. O'Donnell
Founder & CEO, Work It DAILY | Board of Directors, McCoy | Career & Professional Development | Job Search | HR & Recruiting | Employer Branding | Recruitment Marketing | Talent Management | Executive Coaching
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I'm going to tell you something that might upset you. All those hours you've put into updating your resume might be for nothing.
No one reads resumes anymore.
Let me explain.
The ATS, also known as Applicant Tracking System, allows job seekers to apply to jobs online in a fast easy, way. It's great, right? Not so fast...
Actually, the ATS system could be hurting your chances of ever getting an interview. Because of the user-friendly interface of the ATS, job seekers are applying to hundreds of jobs a week. As a result, employers use the ATS to weed out unqualified candidates. This means chances are your resume isn't being seen by a real person. To give you an idea, only 3% of people who apply online are contacted by a recruiter.
If you're feeling down because you're applying to numerous jobs and not getting any calls back, it's safe to assume the ATS is the primary reason.
However, there's still a good chance you will be rejected even if a recruiter does read your resume. Here's why...
Your Resume Isn't 6-Second Worthy
Even with the ATS system working to help recruiters narrow down their applicant pool, they still have to review numerous applications. To streamline this process, recruiters have been taught to 'skim' resumes.
When recruiters do this they're looking for certain skill sets and keywords that let them know if the candidate is a good potential fit for the position. If the design of your resume format isn't right, they might not see these skills during their 6-second skim. Therefore, even if you're perfectly qualified for the position, your resume style can ruin your chance of getting that interview.
In fact, studies indicate if you don't get and keep a recruiter's attention with your resume in under 6 seconds, you're being tossed.
2 Things Your Resume Needs To Capture Attention
1) White Space
There's a common misconception you should cram all the information you can on your resume and fit it on one page. This is actually hurting, rather than helping, your job prospects. The more empty space there is on a page, the easier it is for someone to read what's actually on it. It's better for your resume to be on two pages than to try to cram it all in on to one. Visual overload will make a recruiter skip reading your resume. A rule of thumb is to never go smaller than a .7 inch margin, or an 11 point font.
2) Facts & Data
To free up space on your resume, take out all the flowery, subjective text where you try to make your accomplishments sound more important. Recruiters cringe when they see things like, "I'm an innovative self-starter who has mastered the art of..."
Instead, stick to the facts. "I managed a team of 20 people and a budget of $500,000."
You should always quantify your achievements whenever possible. Numbers are not only the easiest thing to read when skimming a resume, but they are also what is most likely to be remembered by the recruiter.
It May Be Tempting To Hire A Resumé Writer, But Don't.
The issue with hiring a resume writer is when they compose your materials, it's with the intention to impress their client = you. What impresses you will not be what impresses a recruiter or hiring manager.
Additionally, every job is temporary. This means you will likely change jobs multiple times during the duration of your career. If you go with a resume writer, are you willing to pay to have it altered through every career change? Besides, it turns out your cover letter has more of an impact on your chances of getting a job interview today than your resume does!
Knowing how to create your own resume is a vital skill to have. My company. WorkItDaily.com offers unlimited resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile reviews by trained career support specialists as part of our membership. We do this because we want to teach job seekers like you what recruiters want to see in these materials. Not to mention, ensure it's a lifelong skill you can use for the rest of your career.
Interested? Take advantage of this limited-time discount and get complete access to our services!
I'd love for you to share your thoughts in the comments. Be sure to use the hashtags #JTTalkJobs & #ResumeTips so we can all join in the conversation.
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P.S.S. If you don't think a membership to my company's career coaching service is for you (yet).
At Work It Daily, we put together the following free career growth tools for you:
- A guide to all the common resume mistakes.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.
- Free cover letter samples.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.
- A complete job search checklist.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.
- List of the 18 most common interview questions.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.
- Masterclass on how to avoid common job search mistakes.
CLICK HERE to ACCESS the video training.
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Chief Executive Officer at NK Cement Pvt Ltd
4 年Congrats on the new role! Congratulation on your fabulous success; you had really worked hard and truly deserved the position. my best wishes for your dream should come true regd. nikh
Executive Assistant @ Diageo | Experienced 'C' Suite Executive Assistant
4 年Hi JT Thank you for this great article and the opportunity to download great informative articles for free. Most websites draw you in by giving small enticing bits of information then charge big fees to gain access to the additional information. I constantly get bombarding e-mails from sites wanting to charge for my CV to be updated at a high fee. Not yours, it's very clear, concise and straight to the point information. I will gladly recommend and highlight your site to colleagues who may be interested in subscribing. Thank you. Monica
Accountant | Finance | Risk Analyst | Operations | Transport & Logistics | MR Cost & Inventory Accounting | Builder | Inspirer | Writer | Digital Design Expect | Google Digital Marketing for Africa | Goodwall | UNICEF.
4 年It's better for your resume to be on two pages?than to try to cram it all in on to one.
Wirter at no
4 年Nothing as such as said. https://bit.ly/3cF1zO4
Researcher|| Circular Economist|| Climate Activist|| SDG Advocate|| Entrepreneur
4 年Insightful, thanks