As recruiters, we post new jobs almost every day with each posting bringing in anywhere from 20 to 100 applicants. It’s been said that a recruiter can read a resume and determine if it would be a fit in 20 seconds or less. Now many may be thinking: “That doesn’t seem like a lot of time. What can I do to make my resume stand out on a job application?”
Recently, we have seen resumes with the bare minimum of information being submitted for jobs requiring specific qualifications. When applying, keep in mind that your resume is not the only one a recruiter or hiring manager is going to see. Therefore, it is important to include the most applicable information to the job to make your resume stand out.
Now when I say make sure you include the necessary information, I’m not suggesting fabricating skills you don’t have. For instance, if the job requires advanced Excel skills and the last time you used Excel was five years ago, this job may not be the best fit. However, if you are applying for an administrative job that requires expert knowledge of Microsoft Office and you have been using it daily for the last seven years but Microsoft Office is nowhere on your resume, you should adjust your resume to include that information. Recruiters and managers won’t guess if you have the proper skill set. Rather, if they don’t see it on your resume, they will assume you don’t and likely won’t be interested.
In summary, when applying for jobs, read over the job description and make sure of two things: 1) you are legitimately qualified and 2) the skill set they are looking for is visible on your resume. If it isn’t but you possess the required skills, make the necessary changes so recruiters and/or hiring managers will take a second look and possibly contact you.
Try this out next time when your applying for a job and let us know if it yields better results!
