Why a resume checklist? Because getting hired is a serious business. And your resume is one of your most powerful business tools. It’s your chance to not only get your foot in the door, but also keep you at the top of the employer’s callback list, since a resume lives on even after you’re in the door.

When I first started looking for a job many years ago, I figured as long as my resume looked nice and I interviewed well, I was going to get the job. And there were times that I did despite my not-so great resume. Sometimes a positive attitude can conquer all.

But it’s a very different job market out there now. And more than ever you need a strong resume that doesn’t sell you short. One that hits all the key points in a way that registers quickly as a likely match and leaves the screener wanting to know more.

Top resume checklist items

To help you make sure your resume is an effective door-opener for your job search, I put together a quickie list of reminders. Maybe you don’t need each and every one. But it’s worth at least thinking about it. (You can find more posts below to expand on the tips — and to help you build your own resume.)

WRITING TIPS CHECKLIST

✓  Customize / target to each job (not same for all).

✓  Strong summary statement (at top under name & contact info).

✓  Use job description as a “focus” guide.

✓  Key words and phrases based on job.

[Read more…]

Sometimes your resume just doesn’t do the job. And doesn’t get the job. While it may in fact be your real resume that needs fixing to get selected, what if you have a spotty or inadequate work history? Is there a good reason to ever include fake jobs on resumes?

At this point I need to tell you two things:

1. First, the answer is usually “no”. Yes, you can get away with it sometimes. But fake jobs have a lot of potential downsides — both now and in the future.
2. Second, a confession. I once arranged for a relative to back me up (just in case) on a fake job after a long period out of work. Luckily, I got my job through networking and wound up using my real work history. But I was tempted.

Using fake jobs on resumes

[Read more…]

Yesterday I got to see a resume that quite honestly shocked me. It was all squeezed into one page … with tiny fonts and lack of breathing room. So let me say it as clearly as I can: size matters! Especially when it comes to font size on resumes.

I know many of you have heard that you need to fit it all on one page or it won’t get read. Well, if the font is so small it takes a magnifying glass for all but the sharpest eyes, it won’t get read either. And to add to the resume screening hurdle, if your resume is all glommed together it leaves an immediate impression — and not a good one.

One page resume? Not always.

[Read more…]

One truly annoying thing about the resume screening process is that even a great resume gets rejected now and then. And that probably happens a lot more often than most employers might think.

Before a resume even has a chance to be seen, the dreaded resume screener enters the scene, either human or automated. And in either case, someone decides on a set of criteria or rules that get “unqualified” candidates booted — or at least their resumes. The candidate never actually gets seen. And a potentially good match may get lost in the process.

To be fair, people who create those rules for resumes (and cover letters) think they’re doing a great job. Or at least they don’t stop to think about that job seeker who might have been a wonderful fit and who they’ll never get to meet. They just want to find the best candidates and reject unqualified or so-so candidates — at least as they see it.

My non-traditional screener approach

As a screener, I liked to think of that person that might get missed by standard screening techniques. One with a lot to offer, but who may not have presented themself perfectly to a hiring process designed and operating in a way an outsider wouldn’t understand.

I always made an effort to keep myself open to possibility — digging a little deeper. And finding some really terrific hires in the process.

Unfortunately, you can’t count on this being the way most hiring managers operate. Because for the most part they don’t. And so a resume gets rejected — even a potentially good one.

Many layers of made-up rules

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Your resume is your calling card. Often, it’s your one chance to catch the eye of someone who actually has the power to hire you. So even if you feel pretty sure you can sell yourself in an interview, it pays to check out some resume writing tips that can help give you the chance to be seen!

As someone who has helped hire many people (and screened many resumes), I can assure you that even really qualified people can have bad resumes. Ones that get them eliminated. Instead, your resume needs to help tell a “notice me” story — one that shows just how right you are for the new job and company.

Harsh truth about resumes

While a resume can be a powerful marketing tool, you need to make it work for you. But too many people simply list their experiences in chronological order and think they’re done. In effect, they expect the company to fill in the dots for them. Not smart. Painting a clear, engaging picture is YOUR job.

Unfortunately, the average resume gets looked at for about 7 or 8 seconds the first time. And if the first time doesn’t easily show a good fit, your resume probably never gets seen again. A sad story for both you and your resume.

But the good news is that you don’t need to leave it all up to luck — and a resume reader with extra time on their hands. You can greatly improve your chances simply by following a few resume writing tips.

Resume writing tips to help

[Read more…]

Resume screening may seem like a boring backend process that you have no control over. But you actually have major control — if not in the screening itself, in how successfully your resume makes it through the resume gauntlet!

Although you know that your resume plays a key role in getting you that all-important interview, there’s a part of the picture most people don’t know anything about. It’s the dreaded resume screener. And I was one of them as part of my hiring responsibilities.

So let’s start by taking you behind the secret curtain to help you understand a bit more about those mysterious interview / hiring process steps. And what you can do to maximize your chances.

Exactly who is resume screening? [Read more…]

When you match your resume to the job (description), you are giving yourself the best chance of being seen as a great fit. Competition is stiff and you want to make it as easy as possible for the resume screener. And I say this having been a screener for many years as part of my hiring manager responsibilities.

So let me say this loud and clear:  PLEASE customize your resume to the job you’re applying for, as best you can.  Despite claims that the resume is dead, resumes are still one of your strongest marketing tools. Even in this ill-designed, ridiculously frustrating hiring process. And its job continues long AFTER an initial screener sees it.

Tips for matching resume to job

[Read more…]

Confessions of a serial resume screener: One of the things I enjoy most as an organizational consultant is helping companies find good candidates to interview. And that often means I have to screen resumes and cover letters — lots of them!

Hiring is like a big puzzle, trying to figure out who might be the best match for the company and job. But first, the potential candidate has to pass an initial resume screening process, to find those few candidates who seem most promising.

And unless you have an internal connection, this may be your only chance to get noticed. So make sure your resume (and cover letter) stands out in the right way — and “speaks” the employer’s job language. As unique and wonderful as you are, the fit needs to be obvious.

⇒   CHECK OUT:  10 Steps To Match Your Resume to the Job

When I screen resumes & covers

Here are the ten things that make a candidate’s application stand out for me as a resume screener (and potential interviewer). And remember the cover letter can be just as important if done well: [Read more…]