No matter what your local labour market is doing at this very moment, chances are you are still in a position to get passed over for that Perfect Job simply because your resume, your first shot at impressing a potential employer, just isn’t doing the trick.
As a professional recruiter, I look at dozens of resumes a week, and most of them look exactly the same. If you don’t want to get lost in the shuffle, and prefer to stand out from all the rest, make sure you cover these areas:
Results
The results, or achievements, that you have made during the course of your career are what will seize and hold the recruiter’s attention and give them that sense of urgency that they MUST speak to you further. You would be surprised how very few people take the time to actually list their results on their resume. As if they are afraid to sound like a braggart, or worse, that they just never bothered to compile this ridiculously valuable information in the first place. Trust me…it’s worth the effort!
Core Competencies
You’re a smart cookie. You’ve done your homework and researched the company with which you want to secure employment. Make sure you take note of their core competencies that they’ve listed on their organizational homepage, usually along with their Mission/Vision, and tailor your resume accordingly by highlighting the core competencies you possess that are in line with theirs. The more you can harmonize with them, the better.
Objective
Don’t forget to change your objective to match the job to which you’re applying. The first thing a recruiter wants to see on a CV is the objective statement. It tells them whether or not your expectations are in line with what they are offering. If they can’t determine your objective, more often than not they will put you aside.
I’m certain this has been said time and time again, but sadly I still see candidate resumes with email addresses such as <playboybunny69@hotmail.com> and <666_rulz@gmail.com> more often than I care to admit. And guess what? Most recruiters won’t read past that line, and you’ll go right in the shredder. No one’s saying that you can’t be a Satan worshipper or a nymphomaniac because that is discriminatory. You just don’t want to advertise that information. It gives a very poor first impression, and remember, you want to impress, not frighten.
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