Top 4 Things Recruiters Look for in a Résumé – Make These Stand Out!
You’ve got to grab the Recruiter’s attention quickly with your résumé.
Research shows that Recruiters spend only about 6–8 seconds reading your résumé before that make a decision. This makes sense because they can receive upward of 100 applications every single day! If Recruiters are so quick to judge, then you’ve got to be quick to impress.
Here are 4 things you can do to make sure that your résumé stands out:
1. Longevity in positions – This isn’t going to be something that you can change now, but if you’ve got it then flaunt it!
One of the first things that Recruiters spot is whether you’ve managed to stay with the same companies for a good length of time. If you have been working as a staff/permanent employee then Recruiters will typically be looking for a minimum of 2–4 years with each company. If you’re a freelancer/contractor then 6 month contracts are generally what is expected, interspersed with some longer 1-year contracts. Repeat contracts with the same companies are also a good look.
Make sure it’s obvious how long you’ve been in each of the positions you’ve held.
2. Relevant projects and experience – Make sure that you’ve read the job description properly and that you understand the kind of experience the Recruiter will be looking for.
You can tailor your résumé to include your most relevant projects as your most prominent experience. Some examples include: for the construction sector making it obvious that you’ve worked on commercial projects in the past for a commercial project job rather than highlighting your experience in rail; for the pharmaceutical engineer sector making it obvious that you’ve work on clean piping if the project requires lots of clean piping rather than your experience with black piping.
Apply this to your own industry.
3. Length of experience – How long you’ve been in your current sector and your total experience in the work place are important factors for each job you find.
If a role requires a senior developer, then it won’t be relevant for Junior Developer – make sure that it’s clear how much experience you have in your field.
4. Relevant competitors – Have you worked for the company’s direct competitor?
If so then this is likely a major selling point. Make sure that you highlight any competitors you’ve worked for as well as any other similar companies working on similar types of project.
In Summary
You’ve got to make your résumé attention grabbing if you want to grab a Recruiter’s attention! You’ve got to include all of the things recruiters look for in a résumé and make them really easy to spot if you want a chance of a call back.
Want to know what to include in your CV? Check out this guide: https://centrelineresourcing.com/overview-of-what-to-include-in-a-cv/
How about How to Follow Up After an Interview? https://centrelineresourcing.com/follow-up-after-an-interview/
Feel free to get in touch with me for any other advice on CV writing and interviewing: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-raymond/
5th December 2022