CV TIPS - 5 Tips To Pass The Resume 30-Second Test
Posted 14th March 2023 • Written by Andrew Fennell on forbes.com • • • • •
Tailor every application
Writing a strong resume can be time-consuming, so it’s understandable that tailoring every application you submit can feel like a lot more work. However, recruiters have become wise to this over the years, and they can spot a generic resume with just a quick scan down the page.
Generic resumes look lazy, unprofessional, and suggest that you don’t have a genuine interest in their job role. Therefore, it’s crucial that you tailor every resume to the specific position and company before you submit your application.
Engage the recruiter immediately
Your resume needs to start with a professional summary that grabs the recruiter’s attention immediately. As a senior professional, this should be a short summary that includes your current position and years of experience. You must show your relevance to the role and highlight your key achievements.
This section must also be tailored to the specific position and company. As we’ve said, a generic application won’t cut it, and if you get this wrong in the first instance, your resume is sure to end up on the rejection pile.
Keep it relevant
As you gain more and more experience, the list of things you can add to your resume will only grow. The problem is, with just one to two pages to impress, including every job you’ve ever had is unlikely to get you over that 30-second hurdle.
Recruiters only want to see your most recent and relevant experience, qualifications, and skills. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to review all your past positions and only go into more detail about those that are relevant to the role.
Be specific
The more specific details you can give about what makes you great for the job, the better.
So, when describing your experience, avoid giving generic explanations and give specific details instead. This includes quantifying your achievements to show how you made a real impact in past roles.
Think carefully about structure and readability
Of course, the content of your resume is absolutely vital, but so are readability and structure. If your resume is poorly formatted, the recruiter might not give it any more than a quick glance. So, in order to make it easy for them, you must use headings and subheadings to structure your information and guide the reader’s eye.
Bullet points are also a great way to break up chunks of text because large blocks of text can be very off-putting. As can quirky or hard-to-read fonts, so it’s crucial that you choose a standard font that makes your resume easier to scan through.
Finally, it’s a good idea to think carefully about how you structure your content. As a more senior professional, it’s likely that your skills and experience will take precedence over your education. So it’s better to put these sections closer to the top of the page.
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