On a daily basis, hiring managers are often forced to sift through hundreds of resumes in a short amount of time. With little time to spare, hiring managers have to decide quickly who will get the phone calls for interviews and put the other resumes in the trash. Being able to keep your resume from hitting the trash can will mean the difference between getting your foot in the door and possibly getting a job.
In order to have a resume that stands out, you don't have to resort to goofy tactics or gimmicks to catch the attention of the hiring manager. Some people have resorted to sending balloons, wild animals (no joke), and even printing their resumes on different colored paper to get them to stand out (anyone remember the resume Reese Witherspoon had in the movie Legally Blonde?). Having the right content is what will get your resume noticed and help get your foot in the door for the interview.
With great content, your resume has a better chance of catching the attention of the hiring manager when he or she is going through lots of resumes in a short amount of time. Below are some tips on how you can tailor the content of your resume to make sure the hiring manager considers you to be a candidate for a position:
1) Keep your content concise and to the point- having lots of experience is helpful but keep in the mind the person looking at your resume will only have about 10-15 seconds to read each resume in the pile. Having content that is long, lengthy and hard to follow will make it difficult for the hiring manager to grasp and could make it easy to pass you up. Keep your content concise, to the point and easy to read for the hiring manager
2) Don't Be Afraid to Use Bullet Points- using bullet points can make it easier for a hiring manager to look at your accomplishments (more on that later) and follow the content in your resume. It also helps the hiring manager determine whether or not your experience is relevant to the position he or she is interviewing for and makes your resume an easier read.
3) Add Sizzle By Adding Accomplishments to Your Resume- prove to the hiring manager that you can get the job done by listing your accomplishments for each position. If you increased sales at one job, give a percentage of how much you increased sales. If you increased participation or membership, explain and give a number by how much. Make sure your accomplishments show the hiring manager you can make and meet goals and prove you can make a positive difference in the workplace.
4) Tailor Your Resume to the Job You Are Applying For- read the job description and ask how you can tailor you resume so that the qualifications the hiring manager is looking for can be shown in your resume. It's not unusual for someone to recreate the same resume 10-15 times for each specific position. Make sure the content of your resume reflects what the open job is looking for and prove your skills and background match the qualifications.
5) Have Another Set of Eyes Look at Your Resume- you never know what someone else will point out, good or bad, when looking at your resume. While you might not catch it, someone else might catch something that doesn't make sense, spelling errors or anything else that might get your resume thrown in the trash.
Prove to the hiring manager you are right for the job by having content that is concise, to the point and matches what the hiring manager is looking for. By doing that, you will have a better chance ending up with your foot in the door and getting a new opportunity.
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