What the Hiring Manager (and Recruiter) Look for on Your Resume

Being a candidate in the job market can be tough. You have to present your best face to many potential employers, and be on your toes for any interview question.  Before you even get your foot in the door, there is one key piece of your presentation that requires extra attention to detail.

Your resume says everything about you before you meet the interviewer in person. Whether you are meeting a hiring manager or recruiter directly, you want to make sure you are presenting yourself in the best light as a potential candidate for the job.

What to Avoid on Your Resume

Gaps in Employment:

Some candidates opt to only include jobs that are relevant to the job they are currently applying for. While this has good intentions, it may send the wrong message to the person reviewing your resume. If there are employment gaps of 6 months, a year, or even two, this can send off warning signs that you are not a dependable employee. Other times, the gaps represent the period you were searching for your next full time job.  Whatever your reasons are for, if you list them on your resume be prepared to have explanations to back up each one.

                 

Too much information:

When your chance of an interview rides on the resume you submitted, your gut reaction is to make sure you include every pertinent detail about yourself on it. But for most Recruiters and Hiring Managers, this is a resume turn off. Make sure all the information you have listed is short, concise and clearly stated to get your selling points across. And that rule about 1-2 pages resumes? Unless you have 20+ years of experience, keeping it to a minimum of pages is ideal.

What to Have on Your Resume

Relevant skills to the job you’re applying for:

There isn’t anything wrong with being a jack of all trades. But when you are applying for a specific job in a specific industry, it is important for you to tailor your relevant skills to fit the job at hand. Those making the hiring decisions want to see right away that you have the skills necessary to handle the job, so don’t keep them waiting!

Measureable accomplishments:

Don’t wait till you’re in the interview hot seat to start singing your praises. Start listing your accomplishments on your resume and be specific! If you lead a team of 5 peers in a project that saved 10k on the department’s budget, feature it on your resume. As long as you keep it concise and pertinent to the job it will only benefit you.

If you’d like more information on the hiring process, or would like one of our professionals to review your resume, contact us!