When it comes to resumes, it can sometimes be your one shot to grab the attention of a recruiter who will determine whether or not you get a second glance in the form of an interview.
As a candidate, there are many choices you have to make when it comes to the design, format, and contents of your resume, a one-page summary of who you are. This is why it is important to hear from the people who actually look at countless resumes in order to learn the do's and don't's of resume writing.
In a recent Forbes article, author Aliza Licht was able to to just that. She spoke with expert recruiters in order to determine general things that they are looking for in a top notch resume, as well as some thing to avoid when writing one. This article includes tips on resume format, content, and organization as well.
Something else that is important when submitting resumes today is to keep in mind that many top companies use various applicant tracking systems in the hopes of vetting through the many applicants that come their way.
Because of this, the vast majority of applications don't even make it past this barrier, as the system is searching for keywords that make an applicant more relevant to the job that they are applying for. This is why it is important to include keywords from the actual job description in your application or resume.
Forbes author Kinsey Crowley explains an example of using proper keywords:
Some people say, ‘I was a maintenance technician.’ Well, that's great. But if it's a job is for a janitor and you don't have janitor in your resume, it's not going to show up. Likewise, if you have it listed as a janitor and they're looking for maintenance technician, it may make sense to also put maintenance technician so your resume is pulled up.
Check out the rest of Crowley's article for more tips when building you resume and what you should be including on it.