You only get one chance to make a first impression. Gone are the glory days of 2004-2008 when all you had to do was show up for an interview and you got hired.
In 2009, there were on average 9 applicants for each open position in Accounting and Finance. In the administrative world, there were 19 applicants for each open position.
In any given week, I will receive 400-500 resumes. I have about 3 seconds to look at a resume and decide if I will spend more time working with that candidate. Most hiring managers have about the same amount of time to spend per resume. You MUST make your resume stand out in that first 3 seconds.
The goal of a resume should be to get the reader's interest peaked. Get them want to meet with you in person. It does not need to be a life story, in fact, a well written one page resume is much more powerful than a tell all novel about your work history.
My 6 point list of the most important resume elements.
1. Start with a blank Word document, do not use the canned Word Resume Template
2. The resume should be 1 page in length and have uniform margins and a font size that is 10, 11 or 12 point font.
3. Use bullet points to highlight specific duties for each position, make sure tenses are consistent, if you are no longer at a position, use past tense
4. List months and years for each position, having gaps of time on a resume is ok, just be prepared to explain any gaps during an in person resume
5. Include a one line description of each company you have worked for
6. Do not lie on a resume! Assume that everything that you put on a resume can and will be verified.
We have put together a resume template which lists the basics for an effective one page resume.
Click here to download our customized resume template for FREE.
Thank you for this valuable post! Will you be doing a companion post for the cover letter?
ReplyDeleteQ: Does using key words from the job description or from the required skills section help trigger a match from the recruiter? Or is that better off positioned in the cover letter?
In outside-industry, but market-related news:
I was speaking with the Business Manger at our local Apple Store last week and he said they get 300 resumes per week just for their part-time Specialist positions. He said although they get many qualified applicants, the candidates who make it a point the separate themselves from the heard by coming into the store and introducing themselves — among other efforts to be remembered — goes a long way. The only way to apply is online.
Brett