Because the RIFT SUCCESS recruiting team sees thousands of resumes daily, we have prepared some basics to ensure that YOUR resume is a True SUCCESS! Below you’ll find some suggestions that we’ve come up with that will help you create the resume no recruiter or employer will overlook. While you may not want to use them all, any combination will certainly help your chances of being noticed and single you out as the candidate that they have to meet!
Presentation
Candidates that are considered immediately have one thing in common - their resumes stand out from the rest in the first 5 seconds. How? One word…creativity! Gone are the days of drone and boring resumes, if you want to wow an employer or a recruiter so that your resume doesn’t end up in the forgotten pile, then call upon your creativity and do something different. The use of graphics, a picture, or even something as simple as a *portfolio style presented resume* will surely grab an employer or recruiter’s attention. Think of it this way, if you spent all day looking at text on a paper or an email, wouldn’t a graphic design or a picture catch your attention? Of course it would, and it would also catch the eye of any prospective employers and recruiters. It shows them that you are detail oriented, professional, and that the presentation of your resume is just as important to you as its contents. Be careful not to be too extravagant either, because this may have the opposite effect. Keep it simple, classy, and attractive.
*[Portfolio Style Presented Resume - presuming of course that you have manually turned in your resume - i.e. in a transparent folder with a cover letter, a sheet protector, laminated paper, etc.]*
Resume Body
Now that you’ve decided how you will present your resume to your prospective recruiter or employer, and you’ve captured their attention, it’s time to keep their attention. This is the meat and potatoes…your resume body. In order to make your resume body as enticing as your presentation, you must remember that the person reading your resume is short on time and must assess in the next 30 seconds, whether or not you are qualified for the position.
- Verbiage - in a single sentence explain what your previous employers did and be sure to use key words describing the position. This bit of information can tell your prospective employer or recruiter, whether or not your knowledge and background are a fit for their position. It would be unwise of you to assume that just because you named the company, the person reading your resume knows who they are and what they do.
- Job Description - when describing what duties you performed under whatever title you held, be careful not to sound too generic and drone. This is your resume, these are the things you did, and these are the key components of what made you the best fit for that position. Explain how that past employer benefited from your contributions to their organization. Avoid words like multi-task, team player, and goal oriented. They’re far too overused and give the recruiter or employer the feeling that you took no passion or care in writing your resume.
- Languages - if you speak and write in different languages, be sure to list them and your proficiency with them. Multi-Lingual candidates are very enticing to recruiters and employers because they can communicate with clients and associates from diverse backgrounds and cultures. This can increase the organization’s marketability level and thus open the doors of expansion. If you are a candidate that has multi-lingual abilities, you are already an asset to the recruiter or employer.
- Skills – if you possess any skills that will be helpful to the employer or recruiter, be sure to list them. Don’t create a list of programs that you are familiar with or write that you have the ability to follow directions. List real skills that help you get the job done, like typing 75 wpm (and no, texting 75 wpm is not the same), CSS or HTML coding, cold calling x amount of prospects in an 8 hour day while transforming x amount into sales, etc.
- Hobbies – if your hobbies consist of anything relevant to the position you are applying for, then by all means include them, if not, don’t even bother. From experience, not a single one of our clients has ever asked us what a candidate’s hobbies are, however, this is a topic that is up for debate among many HR representatives. If you have decided to include hobbies in your resume, then just remember this if nothing more…never, under any circumstances use terms like “hanging out,” “chilling,” or “chillaxing.” You laugh, but trust us; we’ve seen them plenty of times.
- Social Media – the MECCA of the new world - this is where you can either shine or fall from grace. If your social media profiles are professional, well-written, spell checked, and elaborate on your level of expertise, then list them….if they don’t…you know the rest. There is nothing that can diminish your chances at getting the position faster than profanity, misspellings, and explicit images on a personal profile. Yes it’s your profile and you can say and post what you want, but if you expect a recruiter or an employer to take you seriously, then be sure none of these things are a part of it. If your friends post things like this on your profile or on theirs, then don’t list them; if you aren’t sure, don’t list them. There is a great debate among HR representatives about whether or not recruiters and employers should read your personal profiles, no matter who’s wrong or who’s right, the point is…it’s being done so protect yourself against the chances of losing the job by what is displayed in your profiles.
- Objectives – the first of the resume body and the last of this course. Be sure that you outline a true goal in this field, don’t just waste the space by writing “to be the best employee” or “to be a part of your team.” Be realistic and bold, use terminology like “to increase your revenue in New York by bringing x amount of leads,” or “to decrease customer turnover by reminding clients that x company offers x additional benefits in addition to x benefits they already receive.” This lets the recruiter or employer know that not only have you researched their organization well, but that you are planning on bringing something of value to it.
So there you have it, RIFT SUCCESS 101 - Resume Basics, we’ll be covering the coveted “Cover Letter” in our next segment, so stay tuned. In the meantime, make it a SUCCESSful day!
To submit your resume to our recruiting team simply visit RIFT SUCCESS or to apply for available positions visit the RIFT SUCCESS Job Board
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