As with every other part of a job search, it’s important to think strategically about your resume.  What do I mean?  When many people develop their resume, their primary goal is to list as much information about their past endeavors and accomplishments as possible, hoping to attract the right employer.  Right?  Wrong! 

To significantly boost your chances of finding the right job, put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter.  All day, everyday – phone calls, emails, voice mails, meetings, phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, travel, projects, scheduling, metrics, working with hiring managers and, of course, reviewing resumes. 

It’s not uncommon for a recruiter to review hundreds or thousands of resumes in a day, especially in today’s job market.  Knowing this, guess how many resumes get more than 15 seconds of attention?  Not many.  When reviewing resumes, a recruiter’s initial goal is to weed out candidates, not keep as many in the stack as possible.  If you don’t capture a recruiter’s attention with the top half of the first page of your resume (assuming it’s a two page resume), it’s too late.  You’ve already been placed in the “not qualified” pile. 

As I said in the beginning, you must think strategically – take stock of your past experience, education, and accomplishments.  Based upon the type of position you are pursuing, decide what the most impressive and relevant aspects of your resume are and move them to the top…..and get noticed. 

Until next time….