No Matter What Your Profession Is, Keeping Your Resume Simple and Easy To Read ALWAYS Pays OFF

Bright colored backgrounds, cute fonts, animated gifs, there are many ways that you can glitz up your resume in an attempt to catch that recruiter's attention.  Innumerable online resume templates and writing services try different tactics to make your resume just that little bit more visually interesting. 

Anything to separate you from the others, right?  Any step ahead in noticeability puts you that much closer to being 'discovered' and getting that new job, right??

WRONG.

This mistaken belief relies upon a devastatingly incorrect premise. That glam, or at the very least a varied format, will make you stand out in the eyes of a recruiter.

It will...but not in the way you hope. 

You see, recruiters are VERY good at reading resumes, at seeing what's really there and what's being glossed over.  They know all the tricks, and none of them work.  Yes, your yellow background, or racy font may draw their eyes for a moment, but it doesn't last and it NEVER increases your chances of being called for an interview. It's just a trick, and if anything it lowers your professionalism in their eyes.

Why?  Because there IS a way to be more noticeable than your peers....there IS a technique that puts you ahead of everyone else!!

Do you want to know what it is???

Follow the Rules.

That is the answer. You want to stand out?  Follow the rules that recruiters silently use to evaluate your resume.  In doing so you will be different because less than 10% of candidates know or follow them.

• Proper layout - use reverse chronological or hybrid format....nothing else works as well
• White space - don't make it too busy, don't try to cram too much into too small a space...if it needs to be three pages, that's fine. Don't make it intimidating to read
• Use of English - ZERO spelling mistakes, and while full sentences work well in your cover letter, their a waste of real estate in a resume
• Organization - use bullets effectively and consistently, never mix bullet types.
• Fonts - never use more than one font on your resume, choose a quality serif or sans serif typeface and stick with it
• Remove most articles from your content like 'a' and 'our' to increase the impact of what remains
• Use action words to boost the potency of even the lowliest of responsibilities
• Don't overdo it. List no more than 10 points in the responsibilities section of your resume for each job
• ALWAYS include the Accomplishments section and use it effectively
• Don't hide anything on your resume, a recruiter will be understanding if you're honest. If you need to explain you can do so in your cover letter

This is just a glance at the many aspects of the properly standardized resume. Most people don't use it because they feel they must be different.  Well because everyone's SO busy trying to be different, the ones who are doing what the RECRUITER wants, simple, clear, powerful, impactive, organized layout on their resume ALWAYS get the inside track.

Next time you want to be different?  Put away the glitter and do it the right way and you'll stand out.

Want to learn WHAT recruiters want?  Contact David and stay tuned here for more insights. Also, order the RESUME SUCCESS! book, sign up for a workshop, or have David and his team build your resume for you.  We're here to help, so don't be shy about asking questions!

Good hunting!