Someone somewhere has calculated that a recruiter spends an average of 6 seconds reviewing and evaluating your resume.
Yes, that’s correct: 6 seconds!
I know it doesn’t seem fair when you could spend 6 HOURS putting together your resume!
But sadly, this is the way of the recruiting world, so a smart approach is to embrace this and find out what you can do to make sure your resume stands out in those precious 6 seconds.
Here are five ideas:
- Structure
The structure of your resume should be simple and easy to follow. Use headings to group similar things together and highlight the things you want recruiters to know about you.
For example, you might have two separate titles in your Experience section: Work Experience and Volunteer Experience. Or if you are applying for a position where you have complementary experience in another industry, you can highlight this with two subheadings: such as Customer Service Experience and IT Industry Experience.
- Points points
Your resume content should be easy to consume in one gulp and what better way to do it than with points! You can point to almost anything, especially your work and academic achievements.
- Make
The font you use on your resume can maximize your chances of landing the job and should not be underestimated. Consider what the font you are using says about you and how you would fit into the organization you are applying for. Does it convey a sense of professionalism? Joy? Audacity? Minimalism? Conservatism?
There is no right or wrong answer as to which font to use; the important thing is to consciously choose a typeface that is aligned with your skills / experience and the organization you want to work with.
- Blank space
Make sure your resume looks attractive at a glance. It shouldn’t be too cluttered – using white space is very effective in attracting people to want to read it.
- Your profile
This is truly the secret spice of any resume. This should come first on your resume and ensure recruiters understand who you are and what you are offering within seconds. Your profile might be the only thing recruiters read, so it’s important to get it right.
So don’t be discouraged that your resume can only be viewed for 6 seconds – you can make those 6 seconds count and your resume will be on the YES stack in no time!