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Reviewing
Résumé’s Tips
For most employment professionals,
resume reading is a grueling two-step process. First comes a quick scan, as the recruiter looks for key qualifications. If
these are missing, the resume is immediately eliminated.
If the qualifications are present, a more focused reading follows, as the recruiter decides whether the candidate's overall
qualifications and interests align well with the requirements of current job openings.
Bear in mind that a single recruiter
may be attempting to fill 50, 100 or more openings, and must perform the mental gymnastics of not just scanning your resume
for your core qualifications, but also comparing them with the requirements of dozens of job openings he or she must fill.
This isn't an easy task.
You don't want to make the staffing
professional's work even more difficult by presenting a poorly prepared resume that's sloppy, difficult to read, or
otherwise complicates the matter. If you do, it probably will be immediately rejected. The recruiter is likely to move quickly
to the next resume without even a second's thought. Having a well-designed, easy-to-read resume is critical to making
the cut. Anything short of this is sure to land your resume in the "no interest" pile in less than a New York minute.
Knockout Factors
During the initial screening, the employment
professional is alert for factors that will immediately eliminate a candidate from further consideration. These knockout factors
invariably mean sure death to a person's candidacy. They typically include:
1. An objective that doesn't match current openings. 2. Inappropriate or insufficient educational credentials. 3. Incompatible salary requirements. 4. Poorly organized, sloppy or hard-to-read content. 5. Geographic restrictions incompatible
with current openings. 6. A long list of employers in a short period of time. 7. Too much
information. 8. A lack of U.S. citizen or permanent-resident
status.
Any
of these common knockout factors signals the employment manager that it would be a waste of time to read further, prompting
the immediate use of the "no interest" stamp. Therefore, it's a good idea to make sure you avoid these fatal
pitfalls.
If your resume passes the initial
screening, it will then undergo a more thorough, critical reading. The employment manager will then concentrate on the work-experience
section and look for answers to the following
EMPLOYMENT READINESS
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