This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Sam Struan, a 36-year-old recruiter and résumé author primarily based in Scotland. It has been edited for size and readability.
I had been doing part-time résumé writing all through a lot of my 10-year profession in company and inside recruitment earlier than taking it full-time about two years in the past. Since then, I’ve helped write over 700 résumés.
There are many résumé writing gimmicks on the market claiming that sure design components, key phrases, or web page counts will land you a job, however I say preserve it easy and deal with the content material.
There are a couple of non-negotiables that must be on a résumé
Each résumé ought to have contact info like your e-mail and cellphone quantity.
I additionally suggest together with a one-to-two sentence worth assertion close to the highest of the résumé, which incorporates years of expertise, the sorts of roles you have had, and the sorts of organizations you have labored for, quantified by head depend and income.
Keep away from imprecise descriptions like “I am a results-driven chief with a confirmed monitor file of operational excellence.” Your purpose is to current the information, go away nothing up for interpretation, and make the recruiter’s job simple by serving them the vital info instantly.
I consistently inform folks so as to add sure info to their résumés
The most typical factor I counsel folks add to their résumés is corporate summaries for each earlier place of employment.
This can be a one-to-two-line blurb describing its product, service, geographic scope, head depend, and income. This info provides the recruiter extra context so they do not need to lookup the corporate, and it is also a chance to point out off what precisely you’ve got expertise with.
For instance, mentioning that you simply labored for a equally sized firm or bought the same product as the corporate you are making use of for could broaden your attraction to the recruiter.
Some issues are higher left off résumés
The most typical factor I like to recommend purchasers take away from their résumés is overly stylistic design selections like photos or logos. They will not get you rejected by applicant monitoring methods, however in some instances, they make it tougher for the software program to parse your info accurately.
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I additionally advise folks to take away sure comfortable abilities, corresponding to “good communication” or “results-driven.” Anybody can say they’ve good communication, but it surely’s meaningless with out context or proof.
Content material is extra vital than résumé size
A one-page résumé is usually acceptable for brand new graduates or of us with a couple of years of labor expertise, however folks with extra expertise might have as much as a three-page résumé. I’ve about 10 to fifteen years {of professional} expertise, and my résumé is 2 and a half pages.
I usually see a necessity for even longer résumés for presidency, medical, or educational roles that require certifications, publications, or different vital credentials.
There is a broadly held perception that résumés want to suit on a web page, however a recruiter shouldn’t be turned off by an extended résumé. I in all probability would’ve been fired on the spot from my earlier recruiting jobs if I denied candidates strictly primarily based on their résumé size.
Some folks have despatched me 20-plus-page résumés with solely 5 years of expertise, which completely missed the mark. But when a candidate’s expertise is nice, it is not a motive for rapid disqualification.
Above all, preserve it easy
No matter résumé size, you need your skilled expertise to begin on the primary web page. Typically I see résumés that do not even checklist somebody’s most up-to-date job till the second web page. You do not need that. Folks should not have to look by your résumé to search out your skilled expertise.
Use a transparent font, black ink, and depend on metrics-driven reasoning to inform the story of why you are the precise match for the job. Maintain it easy.
In the event you’re a recruiter with job-searching advise you’d wish to share, please e-mail the editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.
