The Essence of a Good Resume
A good resume is necessary in today’s job search. No matter what experience and past successes an individual may have, they can easily be passed by in favor of a less accomplished applicant if their resume isn’t up to par. Most know that tailoring their resume specifically for each new position applied for is the most professional thing to do, but few know that resumes for job listings should be handled differently than their hard copy counterparts.
Software created to help hiring mangers sift through the virtual pile of applications they receive is often very sensitive. If resumes aren’t direct or don’t include the proper keywords they often in up the trash folder. This makes choosing the right words to describe one’s past work experiences extremely important. Mimicking the expectations listed in the job description is usually effective.
For example, if the hiring manager posted that they are looking for someone with 5+ years experience, then the applicant’s resume should be phrased exactly this way. Since, the software is tailored by the hiring manager to find the best fit for the position based on the job description, the program is highly unlikely to trash such a similarly worded application. Doing this alone will help increase the success of those hunting for jobs online.
Since such software is often looking for very specific wordings, it is usually a good idea to spell out acronyms. Another good reason to do this is the fact that although hiring managers know what they’re looking for in a new employee, they may not be up to date with the latest industry lingo and abbreviations.
Due to the large stack of applications each job listing renders, employers find it necessary to skim resumes, spending very little time reading each one. Because of this, it is important to make sure that the most important information is available at a glance. This means that jobseekers should lead with their most impressive and relevant experience. Since available jobs posted online often receive even more applications than those not widely advertised, this is more important than ever.
Although many online job sites have created fill in the blank resumes for their user’s, it’s always a better idea to upload one’s full resume if possible. Aside from usually appearing more professional, creating such a document in an outside program often makes it easier to edit to ensure that all words are spelled correctly and written without grammatical errors.