Ten Ways to Get Your Resume Noticed

In today’s competitive job market it is sometimes difficult to stand out from the crowd. I’ve spent years screening resumes and I will be the first to admit that too often qualified candidates miss interview opportunities because their resume doesn’t grab the attention of the screener.

If you want your resume to be noticed, keep this in mind; your resume may be among hundreds that an individual screener has to sort through. Make sure they see the right information fast.

These ten easy tips will help you get noticed:

1. Submit your resume electronically whenever possible. If there is an email address, use it. Most screeners have their inboxes set up so that resumes will automatically flow into a specific file for a specific position. If you hard copy or snail mail, your resume could end up sitting on a desk where it can get buried.
2. Mention the job title in the subject line. The subject line of your email is not the time to get creative. Screeners don’t have time to open emails that don’t pertain to what they are looking for.
3. Two attachments take too much time. Use your email content as your cover letter, make your resume both an attachment and embedded into the email. You should write a cover letter but don’t make it a separate attachment.
4. Read the job post carefully. The core competencies an employer is looking for will be spelled out for you in black and white. Understand those competencies, and recognize which of them are your strengths.
5. Use the same language on your resume as the employer does in the advertisement. If they are seeking a qualified professional with demonstrated ability to improve the bottom line, make sure your summary states that you ARE a qualified professional with demonstrated ability to improve the bottom line.
6. Give examples, not lists. A list of accomplishments is helpful, but an example of specific accomplishments is better. Instead of saying, “supervised a staff of fifteen” – try saying “Commended for my success in training, supervising, motivating, and growing a staff of fifteen”
7. Keep the most pertinent information at the top of the resume. Screeners will skim during their first go around with a batch of resumes. They will look for key words, key experiences, and direct correlation to the position advertised. Don’t bury that information within the resume; keep it clear, up front, and visible. If not, it may never be seen at all.
8. Don’t go over two pages. Remember an employer wants an employee who is productive and efficient. If it takes you six pages to explain what you have done, you may lose your chance to be considered.
9. Set up a professional email address for your job search. Your personal email address may be cute, but if it isn’t professional it could cost you an opportunity. Be sure that you check email frequently.
10. PROOF READ and have several others proof read as well. Nothing will make a screener toss a resume faster than errors. If you don’t take time to do your very best work when you are working on your own resume, why would an employer think you would do your best work when it is for him.

You may be the most qualified, personable, and hardworking person around, but if you don’t get the interview you will never get the chance to prove it. Make your resume work for you, not against you.

Looking for a career transition or to create a bigger impact in your current career? Speaker and coach Cynthia Corsetti can guide you in Executive Leadership, Career Transition and Interview Skills. Connect with her on Instagram, LinkedIn. and Facebook