Understanding The Resume Through An Employer’s Perspective

It is important that you understand the journey of a resume for you to create the right one that can make it through the length and obstacles and checkpoints in between. The resume has to first get accepted by the database management system and then the applicant tracking system which filters out the right ones and moves to the recruiter conducting the initial level of screening and Trusts me, it all happens in less than 20 seconds. Yes, that’s how much time you have to strike that interest or your resume goes into the black hole. It is common for the ones with exhaustive experience to make their resumes in a way that gets lost somewhere in between and not make it to the hiring manager’s desk. With having written over a hundred thousand resumes, and worked with hundreds of the best resume writers in the industry, we’ve seen the common flaws that most make while creating their resumes.

Your resume can be a springboard to your next job change or a career stopper and it has a lot to do with the approach you take while drafting your resume.

Results Speak:

It is common for the reader to believe in results rather than claims. It is important that you state your claims on your resume but at the same time, it only holds good when you are able to validate it with results. Only then will the reader believe in your claims. Show them aspects like the value of revenue generation that you’ve created or the cost-saving you’ve managed to achieve during your previous employment. Showcase innovative aspects of your career – Showcase the list of new products or services or processes that you may have implemented and validate them with the results it has created.

Keywords are the Key:

Almost every other place you apply to has an Applicant Tracking System. The complexity of the engine they use depends on the size of the organization and the screening process they follow. Some use AI in the applicant tracking systems while most use the basic concepts where it works purely on the use of keywords. It isn’t a market where you can take the one size fits all approach. Every job description you apply into requires your resume to be customized using the keywords relevant to the role to ensure that your resume gets through the screening process.

Clarity on the Resume:

It starts with the resume headline. That should give the reader an understanding of what to expect on the resume. The headline and the career summary should be crisp and give the reader a clear direction. It should neither be confusing or vague. It’s based on these two components on your resume that the reader makes up their mind if your profile suits the role they are hiring for. Therefore, it is important that you customize these two segments to match the target positions.

Keep it Crisp:

Nobody is interested in reading your job description of your previous role. What interests them is the difference you have created in that role. Stop wasting real estate on your resume by elaborating on your job descriptions and focusing on results. Stick only to the qualification that is relevant to the position. Most employers tend to ignore resumes that are generalized.

2 Pages Only:

Most employers are only interested in the last few years of your work experience. If you are someone with over a decade of experience or two, limit the specifics of your resume to the last 5 to 7 years because that is how much the reader is interested in knowing about you. Nobody is interested in knowing what you did in the ’90s. Make use of the saved space to showcase as much as you can the impact you’ve created in your present role and how that relates to the job you are applying for.

Sensible use of Bullets:

As much as it makes your resume an easy read, it is important that you use it sensibly. Extensive usage of bullets across the resume defies the purpose of using bullets. The reader will not be in a position to differentiate the important from the not-so-important ones.

Summarize:

As mentioned earlier, giving a crisp summary at the beginning of the resume, gives the reader a perspective about your profile and what to expect. Therefore, while writing a resume, summarize the most important and marketable aspects of you and showcase it in a manner where it eases into the role you are applying into. This gives the reader a sense of confidence that you are an appropriate candidate for the role.

To be continued.

Watch out this space – https://www.cvdesigner.in/blogs/ for the next part. In the meantime, you can get in touch with us if you need help in getting your resume drafted.