8 Ways To Get Your Resume Noticed By Recruiters

Think Like A Hiring Manager

Perspective is everything. One way to make sure your resume stands out is to think like a hiring manager. Thoroughly read the job descriptions and requirements and make sure you understand what the job entails. Get a firm understanding of the problem YOU solve for employers and highlight that.

If you were in the recruiter's shoes, what would you be looking for in an ideal candidate? Which of these qualities do you possess? Keep that perspective top of mind when drafting your resume.

Keep It Simple

Your resume shouldn't be the next Picasso. Stay away from symbols, squiggles, and colorful fonts. It is distracting. What truly sets you apart is not flashy layouts but your experience. Keep it clean and simple. Use a basic font and a standard layout. Avoid small print; keep your font at 11pt. Make sure headings are bolded and the information underneath is organized with bullets. Avoid long winded paragraphs.

Don't forget about white space. Be sure to include wider margins and decent spacing between career history. Too much text can on a page can be off-putting and difficult to read. Be sure to save your resume as a PDF to avoid any formatting issues.

Recruiters don't forward resumes because they are frame worthy works of art. They share resumes because qualifications are met.

Get With The Times

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Some items on your resume may be outdated. The job market and technological advancements have changed the way we market ourselves during a job search. Make sure your resume is fresh and ready to be noticed.

Ditch the objective statement. Instead, consider a professional headline. List a brief 2-3 word summary of your career experience. This helps recruiters quickly get to know you.

Remove "References available upon request." Recruiters these days operate under the assumption that you will hand over those references when asked.

Highlight Your Skills

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Be sure to showcase your skill set. This should be in the top portion of your resume, under your professional headline. It should include about eight-to-10 skills. Highlighting this at the top of your resume is a quick way to show recruiters how you match their desired expertise.

Don't overload this section. This list should not include generic options or soft skills such as communication or problem-solving but instead should include specific strengths that leverage your value against the job description. Be sure to include hard skills such as foreign languages or computer software and application knowledge. Avoid including overly generalized skills such as Microsoft Suite.

Don't Write A Novel

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The average resume should be two pages long. Unless you are applying for a job where you need to show a wide-breadth of detailed experience, avoid lengthy resumes. You also don't want to exclude important information by trying to keep your resume down to one page.

Think content over length. Be sure to remove filler words and unnecessary information. Recruiters don't need to know the day-to-day responsibility of each role in your career history. They want to know what accomplishments were met and how were you a valuable asset to the organization. Avoid lengthy and irrelevant descriptions and include quantitative metrics. Think accomplishments, numbers, and measurable results.

Be Crafty

Don't just submit the same generic resume for every job posting, that will quickly get your resume tossed. Instead, do your homework. Show a recruiter that you are invested and have done the research. Try to customize your resume to use targeted keywords from the job description. Craft each resume to showcase how your skills fit their specific needs.

Check Your Online Presence

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These days, most recruiters will do a quick Google search of your name after skimming your resume. Are all of those political arguments on Facebook open to the public? Is your Twitter chock full of inappropriate jokes?

Remember, your social media is an extension of your resume and part of your overall brand. Make sure it is professional and impressive. Brand or be branded! If you feel as though your Twitter or LinkedIn account would knock the socks off of your potential employer, hyperlink them in your resume.

Check It Once, Check It Twice

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This may seem a bit obvious, but there are plenty of resumes submitted with numerous spelling and grammatical errors. This is the quickest way to lose credibility with potential employers. A fresh pair of eyes is always a good idea. Send your resume to a trusted friend for proofing.