Don’t get lost in the shuffle. Tips on how to make your resume stand out.

Do you ever wonder what happens to your resume when you apply for a job online? I often found myself wondering this very thing when searching for my own job seven years ago. I found myself submitting my resume for a wide variety of positions, but rarely heard anything back from the prospective employer.  Was I not the right candidate?  Did they not like something on my resume? These are questions I asked myself each time I did not get a response.

The truth is, most of the time, your resume is actually  being received through an automatic portal filtering hundreds of incoming resumes. In some cases, the company recruiter may not even be aware your resume has been submitted.  If you have the opportunity to submit your resume directly to the hiring manager or even the corporate recruiter, what can you do to stand out? Here are a couple of suggestions:

1-Make sure your resume is clean. It should be neatly organized with the use of page breaks, bullet points and an easy-to-read font.

2-Tailor the resume for the position you are pursuing. Incorporate key points and buzz words from the job description in your resume, if they are appropriate, based on your experience.  You should always have one rough draft of a resume in your files and tailor that resume for the position you are pursuing.  

3-Lastly, only apply for positions for which you meet the criteria. For example, don’t apply for an Accounting Director position if you are a food delivery person and clearly do not have the experience required and listed in the job posting. Use your common sense.

The above are 3 ideas to help you get started on standing out. The most important take-away should be to always remember to TAILOR, TAILOR, TAILOR-- That’s something I can do for you and you should always do for yourself.  Good luck!!

By James Murdock - Search Consultant