Resume Straight Talk

I’ve taken on a new role at work that sees me do a lot of recruiting.

Here’s a few tips for you folks out there who may be thinking of getting a job, or are currently actively looking.

Your resume speaks volumes about you. Fudged truth is easily discovered in a pre-screen. The biggest red flag is when someone puts year ranges, without months. Spelling, grammatical errors all indicate either English is not the first language or sloppiness on the part of the candidate. Never ever lie about your degree; there are easy ways to authenticate a degree.

Format your resume. A recruiter receives about a hundred resumes each day. As corny as it sounds, yours should stand out. That being said a nice looking resume without any substance will not get you very far either. Here’s a great site on giving your resume a facelift. If your a marketing/advertising or creative person, make sure your resume reflects that attribute.

Recruiters Skim, so keywords are important. But don’t pick them out of the job posting. That’s too obvious. Think of what the job would entail and what you’ve done in the past and find a way to highlight those attributes and skills.

By far the best advice I can give you is to get someone to refer you. Referrals are given special attention. Someone’s vouched for them, which means I will screen them. This moves your application to the forefront of the recruitment process.

Hope you guys find this useful. And if you guys ever want any advice, leave me an email address.