IS YOUR RESUME RECRUITER FRIENDLY?

In the midst of a job search, recruiters can be either friend or foe. They have the power to introduce you to corporate hiring decision makers —or to keep you out of the hiring process entirely. If you want a spot at the top of the pile, make sure your resume is recruiter friendly.

Whether the recruiter works for one corporation or represents many corporate clients, s/he must be able to give valid reasons for promoting you as a viable candidate. Make the recruiter’s job easier by ensuring your resume includes the information s/he needs in a clear, professionally written format. When your resume sells itself, you gain the advantage and make the recruiter look good as well.

There are three elements to a recruiter-friendly resume:

• Focus
• Core competencies or transferable skills
• Accomplishments

A resume that lacks any of these crucial elements, probably won’t capture the attention it deserves, and may cause you to miss out on important interview opportunities.

1. Focus

Since the recruiter’s time is at a premium, s/he must know your career focus
within seconds of opening your resume. Don’t expect to achieve this with a general “Career Objective” statement. Most recruiters consider such statements worthless unless they contain clear and substantive information about the specific position you are looking for and the expertise you offer.

2. Core competencies or transferable skills

Once a recruiter understands your focus, s/he will want to know if you have the core competencies or transferable skills required to accomplish the job. Research typical job descriptions in your field to identify the essential capacities your resume must feature. Include only those core competencies that relate specifically to your focus. Don’t muddy up your personal marketing message by including extraneous skills. If you remember the all-important rule of relevancy, you'll go a long way toward capturing and holding keeping the reader's attention on your key skills.

3. Accomplishments

After your resume passes the initial screening for focus and skills, the recruiter will want to know how you stack up against other candidates. Clear, concisely stated accomplishments are the best way to distinguish yourself from your competition. For optimum impact, include achievements that illustrate the strength of your expertise, transferable skills and focus. Remember: an accomplishment is only valuable to your resume if it promotes skills your target employers are looking for. To get tips on how to present yourself most effectively, consider investing in a career coaching session.

In today's extremely competitive job market, employers rely heavily on recruiters to screen out all but the top few applicants. With a recruiter-friendly resume, you'll beat out your competition to become the first choice for every interview.

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Deborah Walker, CCMC
Resume Writer ~ Career Coach
For more in-depth information on resumes, job-search strategy and
interview skills, check out the article archive at my website:
www.AlphaAdvantage.com
Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com
Toll-free phone: 888-828-0814
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