Resume Tips From a Professional Recruiter

Resume Tips From a Professional Recruiter

Resume Tips From a Professional Recruiter

If you are thinking about a job change, consider some resume tips from a professional recruiter. Putting yourself out there on the job market can be challenging. It requires patience, determination, and some humility. Submitting job applications can often put you in a vulnerable place, and no one likes rejection. So there is little point in going about something as hard as a job search ill-prepared. How, one may ask, should someone prepare for a job search? The answer should be at the forefront of your mind, not only during job searches but in your professional career too. A quality resume is powerful. When organized well and executed correctly, a resume can make a job search easy. If a resume is constructed poorly, however, it can be to your detriment. With recruiting and hiring almost exclusively online nowadays, maximizing your digital resume is more important than ever. This article will go over some resume tips that will help you stand out to recruiters.  

Basic Resume Advice

A good resume is not easy to come by. Too many people just slap their work experience into a word document and call it good. Not surprisingly, that is a waste of time. So much more is needed to show off your achievements and skills. There are reasons that simply listing skills and work experience however you please isn’t efficient. When you submit a job application, your resume is going to be one of the first things a recruiter will see. Recruiters are usually trained to look for specific things in a resume. If what they are looking for isn’t found quickly, there is a chance your application could be discarded. Of course, there are some basic rules to follow when putting together a resume that will help you get noticed. Listed below are some helpful resume tips from a professional recruiter:  

Watch the Format

Keep your resume looking nice. It shows professionalism, attention to detail, and that you are interested in working. A polished format will help with the overall look of the resume.. Remember to keep formatting clean-looking, fonts and font sizes legible, and spacing consistent. You can inject personality with splashes of color or unusual headings. Don’t get too carried away though, and don’t include a head shot, or else it might start to look too unprofessional. Consider looking into templates if you need help. Always keep it to one page. Unless you are applying to a big-time executive position, don’t let any information run onto a second page.  

Brag and Boast

If you only have one take-away from this article on resume advice, remember this: your resume is your highlight-reel. It is a ticket to brag about your accomplishments and your skills. Don’t be shy! Mention job titles, awards, honors, and any other kind of things you feel deserve mentioning. Of course, try to keep it relevant and keep it honest. Don’t exaggerate to make yourself look good. Honesty goes a long way, but recruiters really want to see what you can do.  

Limit Content if Necessary

While you should brag about your accomplishments, it is not necessary to list everything you have ever done. Putting down all the jobs you have had since high school will only take up precious space. Instead, consider what is most relevant and what will really help get you the job you want. It is important to limit some content to make way for really important information. The important information will vary depending on the job, so it will require some judgment calls on your part.  

Edit Vigorously

Among all the resume tips from a professional recruiter, this may be one of the most important. Pretend that your resume is an editing assignment for grammar class. A great deal of effort should go into checking grammar, spelling, tense, and pronouns. Some recruiters may immediately discard a resume if they find spelling or grammar errors. A resume free of spelling and grammar errors shows attention to detail and will give you a good advantage. So break out the dictionary and give yourself a refresher on the Oxford comma.  

What is a Recruiter, and How Can You Stand Out to Them?

What is a recruiter, what do they do, and how can you impress them? Picture a college sports team. They send recruiters around the country to scout out talent and recruit athletes that will fit well in the organization. When a good candidate is found, they will try to get their attention and convince them to join their organization. It’s an interesting reversal. Athletic recruiters try to get candidates’ attention while corporate and agency recruiters’ attention is often sought by candidates. So it is your duty, as a job-seeker, to capture the attention of a recruiter. Of course, some may reach out to you through job search apps. You may need to decide if they are worth speaking with. How do you catch the attention of the good recruiters? It helps to know what their job is. They go through many resumes and applications, sometimes dozens at a time. They need to make sure an applicant is qualified and is a good fit for the position and company. They need to be careful about who they select and who they spend time getting to know, as they have to vouch for you when they bring your file to a hiring manager. Thus, it is not their job to do you any favors. So to stand out to a recruiter, you need to make their job easier. Make yourself worth recommending. Project a confident and professional tone. Make sure your writing is free of errors and that your resume is relevant to the position. If you help the recruiter, you are sure to stand out. And of course, unless directed otherwise, a cover letter never hurts.  

How to Send a Resume to a Recruiter

Personalization is the name of the game when it comes to sending a resume to a recruiter. Remember that you want to stand out while also making the recruiter’s job easier. By emailing your resume and cover letter directly to the recruiter, you are sure to stand out. Following the tips previously mentioned will also help with standing out. Keep the body of the email short and professional and avoid cliches. Include a strong subject line. You can usually find a good email on the company website. If an email to a recruiter or hiring manager can’t be found, you can usually find a generic email. Just include in the body or the subject something regarding the concerned department.  

A Quality Resume is Key

Taking the time to polish your resume might very well land you that job. Leaving it in a poor state, however qualified you may be, may cost you the job. A lot of business is done online now, and recruiting is no exception. Because of that fact, resume construction is everything. It tells a recruiter who you are and what you are capable of. It is their only reference of what kind of person and worker you are. Use these resume tips from a professional recruiter and build your resume to make it represent you properly. If you feel your resume is ready, submit it here to be considered for any openings you may be qualified for in your general location. It may be nerve-racking, but adequate preparation will lend great confidence.

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