In my corporate career, I recruited management and technical candidates, both for my IT consulting firms and also for our Fortune 500 and SMB clients.
I interviewed a wide variety of job seekers (interviewees who came unprepared, polished leaders ready to answer every question, applicants who begged us for a job, and so on).
Fascinated by resumes, I pored over the structure, language, and approach used by each candidate to see what worked and what failed.
Here’s what I learned about resumes as a recruiter:
A so-so resume will work ONLY if you’ve gained a referral.
Like many employers, we constantly hired based on referrals, and even rewarded the employees who recommended candidates after the hire.
As a result, I constantly interviewed job seekers who were referred to us, including some whose resumes were clearly lacking.
These resumes would NOT have made it through either a human or ATS screening.
Even with personal introductions, it was difficult to interview these candidates because of the short sentences, missing keywords, and lack of accomplishments on their resumes. If I hadn’t been diligent, I could’ve easily missed these job seekers’ value propositions.
Insider Resume Writing Tip from a Recruiter:
Even if you have the most enthusiastic colleague ready to vouch for your skills, you’ll still get best results by using keyword optimization and accomplishment-driven language in your resume.
Otherwise, even a savvy employer can miss the distinguishing factors (outlined in 6-Figure Resume Trends You Need to Know) that make you the top candidate.
A stellar resume can bypass typical objections and actually win the job by itself.
I saw this happen when we screened and interviewed a candidate for both our consulting firm and a client corporation.
Despite having a well-written, polished resume, I could tell this candidate was not right for our IT consulting operation. He was unable to field basic questions and it was apparent that he couldn’t build the type of software common at our client sites.
Imagine my surprise when my client boss walked in the next week, waving this person’s resume and telling me how excited he was to find the candidate. I said I’d already passed on him, and my boss was incredulous: “But this is a great resume!”
Other client managers also confirmed they’d interviewed him and found his skills lacking, just as I had done.
However, my client boss actually hired this person (over the objections of his OWN STAFF), based solely on a well-written resume.
Insider Resume Writing Tip from a Recruiter:
No, you shouldn’t get hired if your resume is flawless and your performance doesn’t match it. But don’t discount the power of words… especially if they can help you market strengths attractive to a new employer.
Resumes should emphasize strong points, rather than tout negative information.
If there’s something you don’t want to discuss (such a bad situation with a former boss or a volatile work environment at your last job), DON’T over-emphasize it on your resume!
At one point, we screened a candidate whose resume showed a 2-month job with no details.
During her panel interview, one of my colleagues asked point-blank why her last job was so short. He couldn’t help it – the job entry was so minimal that it stuck out.
The candidate burst into tears and said the boss disliked her and removed her from the team. By the end of our meeting, she was almost in tears.
However, if her resume had focused more on her adaptability in new IT shops, software skills, and ability to coordinate intensive projects, she might have had a shot – without a bad situation becoming the bomb that decimated her interview.
Insider Resume Writing Tip from a Recruiter:
Lead with your strengths. Describe projects and skills as much as possible so you can talk about your strongest contributions.
DO NOT call attention to data that fails to portray you in the best light.
Many people have a limitation in their backgrounds (perhaps an unexpected layoff or termination). Find a way to focus on your value by using these resume secrets, rather than putting bad news front-and-center.
A poorly written resume won’t even get your career off the ground.
After moving from Chicago to Denver, I assisted HR in resume screening in between my IT projects. There, I stumbled across a resume from a Chicago-area IT leader at a major company – and it was someone with whom I’d worked as a consultant.
My entire project team thought she was an expert at infrastructure, development, and design. Her name was associated with infallible technology strategies… referenced throughout the company as a renowned resource and revered as a faultless leader.
Yet, attached to her resume was a rejection letter from months ago.
Shocked, I looked at the resume again. There was NO mention of her reputation as a go-to leader in the Fortune 500 company where I’d worked – and no references to her ability to influence large team infrastructure strategies.
EVERYTHING I’d heard about her was MISSING from that resume! In its place were mundane statements describing coding, technical details, and project work, with no differentiating details. It looked like every other resume I’d seen.
Insider Resume Writing Tip from a Recruiter:
If you plan to write your own resume, forget outdated resume writing myths (see Should You Write Your Own Executive Resume?) and challenge what you think should be on that document.
Ask your peers and bosses what they think of your work. Interview yourself and brainstorm ideas on what differentiates you. Then take the time to capture these personal branding details.
