‘How to Get Your Resume Seen’ has been a hot topic for years. It began with an influx of applicants for roles – candidates wanted to know how to ensure their resume stood out. How do you keep it at the top of the pile, and top of mind? Now, it’s a challenge to beat the bot with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Since most companies and recruiters utilize ATS, and in a sea of applicants, so how can you get your resume seen? These 5 tips to get your resume seen will ensure you’re noticed by hiring managers and recruiters.
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Keep it Simple
A simple format is easy to read. So, adding unnecessary columns, formatting, sections distracts the eye and keep the human viewer guessing on where to look next. These added features also often confuse an ATS and can result in screening you out for an anticipated role. So, unless you’re in a design field, spare the fancy graphics and formatting.
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Use a Basic Font
Basic is not boring. Basic font ensures that both an ATS and a human can read your resume, or your application without needing to translate it first. Getting hired and filling openings should be easy. So, don’t make it harder on the recruiters and hiring managers who are reading your resume, and ultimately determining suitability for a role.
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Use Bullets
Bullets…. make it easier to read! Are you sensing a theme yet? Ordering your experience as bulleted lists under each role you’ve held will neatly summarize what you’ve done. As recruiters, we’ve seen many resumes which are written in paragraph format. Your resume is often our first impression of you and your abilities. For recruiters and hiring managers, their job is to discern suitability – quickly. Bullets make this faster, meaning we can get to more candidates and help more people.
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Include Accomplishments
What can you contribute to a new team, what do you bring to the table? What can you accomplish? Writing about your accomplishments (in bullet form) is helpful for those resume screeners as it speaks to what you’re capable of. Make sure to use facts and numbers where possible. Your goal is to be proud, but not necessarily boastful. Ensure your accomplishments are relevant for the role you’re applying for.
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Tailor Your Resume
Relevancy is key. So, read through the job description carefully for the role you wish to apply. Compare the prospective role with positions you’ve held in the past. Make it a priority to include relevant accomplishments from previous roles that apply and show you would be well-prepared to tackle the prospective role. It’s important to think of your resume as an explanation of why you would be the best fit for the role you’re applying to.
Follow these steps to ensure your resume gets seen more often for related roles – roles that you would be best suited for! Hiring and filling openings isn’t a simple task. So, make sure you’re not making the recruiter or hiring manager’s job more difficult by complicating your resume. If you’re curious to learn more about what you can do, read about How to Get Your Resume Past the Applicant Tracking System.
