What really matters for many recruiters when it comes to observing resumes? Ambra Benjamin, an engineering recruiter, says, “People seem to be truly fascinated by what goes on behind the curtain, when in reality, recruiters aren’t running the covert operation many think.”
She highlights how she personally absorb a resume. Her approach is likely applied to all fields. Here are what recruiters see on resume at first glance:
Is their most recent experience relevant to the position for which your company hiring? Recruiters are trying to figure out what this person’s current status is, and why/if they might even be interested in a new role.
It does not mean that certain companies are better than others. Albeit, some companies most certainly are. It is related to credibility, so that any recruiter is able to assign a frame of reference.
Because recruiters have generally been doing this job for awhile, we notice patterns and trends among candidates from certain companies and we formulate assumptions as a result. There are edge cases and our assumptions can fail us, but again, this is a resume review; recruiters are taking a less than 20-second analysis.
See: More job seekers get help to beef up resumes
Is there a career progression? Does the person have increasing levels of responsibility? Do the titles make sense?
Does the person have the specific experience for the role? Too long and too much information resumes will not get any job seeker far. Recruiters only looking for the keyword on your resume.
If there are gaps on your resume, you should have a sufficient explanation. Mentioned it, whether it was family matters or failed business. If you had a gap, surely you were busy doing something during that time, right? Get creatively honest and just name that period of your life in a way that shows you acknowledge that it might raise an eyebrow.
This is not required. But if a job seeker have an online footprint, and he/she has bothered to include it in his/her resume, any recruiter is going to click it. This includes personal domains, Quora profiles, Twitter handles, GitHub contributions, Dribbble accounts, or anything a candidate has chosen to list. Some recruiters consider it as one of their favourite parts of recruiting.
This includes spelling, grammar, ease of use, ability to clearly present ideas.
Bottom line
Those seven points could take only less than 25 seconds to read. Yet, most recruiters will later read the resume far more in-depth, but only if they like the candidate. Recruiters move quickly.
“I’m trying to remove the barrier for people who might struggle with getting their resume properly acknowledged,” claimed Benjamin.
See also: How to Stop Potential Hires from Lying on Their Resumes
