What
Do HR Professionals Want In A Resume?
Creating an effective resume is all about writing with the reader's
perspective in mind. Of course, you want to emphasize your strongest
skills and attributes, and show why you are an excellent candidate, but
if you do not do it in a way that catches the eye of the HR
professional who reads it then you will not be successful.
Think about this common scenario: a recruiter has a pile of two hundred
resumes on their desk and is faced with the task of screening them to
pick out the top four or five for the interview phase of hiring. How
are you going to make sure your resume stands out from the rest and
gives the HR professional the information they want and need?
Make their job easier. If you want your resume to be noticed, make it
easy for the screener to read it. This means:
- Wide
margins - White space is a good thing on a resume because it keeps the
material from looking cramped and crowded
- Easy
to read font style - Script, calligraphy, and other non-standard fonts
are difficult to read. Stick with a basic font that is clean and clear.
- Font
size - The font size should be 11 point; any smaller and the print
becomes extremely difficult to read and makes the page look crowded.
- Highlight
key information - Your resume should highlight the key information that
matches up with the qualifications and requirements of the job posting.
These are the elements a screener will be looking for, so make them
readily apparent with just a quick scan through.
- Plain
paper - Some people like to be trendy and put their resume on paper
with a unique color or texture, but this is not what a HR professional
cares about. Stick with a good quality white paper that makes the
printing really stand out and be noticed.
Give
them content. A HR professional will look for strong content that
relates to the needs of the specific job opening, so use active
statements that are very specific to describe your skills and
attributes. Include actions and results that are measurable and
quantifiable.
Strong content does not mean fluff. Avoid complex, flowery statements
like:
"bottom-line,
results-oriented professional with a positive attitude and ability to
motivate teams of all shapes, sizes and experience levels"
This will turn off a screener faster than you can possibly imagine.
Statements like the one above do not really say anything about you or
what you offer to a potential employer; rather, they sound like an
attempt to pad your resume with words that sound good because you do
not have any solid experience or qualifications to highlight.
Give them the truth. Another common thing that HR professionals hate is
statements that embellish, exaggerate or outright lie about your skills
and attributes. They have seen it all and experienced screeners are
adept at picking out things that are not always what they seem to be.
For example, do not try to pass off a lower level job as something with
more responsibility by giving it a fancy title. If you were a cashier,
do not say you were a "money handling specialist"; if you were a team
leader, do not say you were an "assistant manager in training via team
project coordination". HR professionals are not fooled by titles and
phrases such as this, and often view them as a negative thing. After
all, if you try to exaggerate the information in your resume, what else
will you exaggerate during the interview or during employment?
When in doubt, use simple, clear language that is truthful. A HR
professional will recognize this and give you credit for being
forthright and concise.
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