How (not) to Get Rejected by a Recruiter
Jan 11, 2024
This past week I interviewed Amy, a seasoned recruiter and HR professional in North Carolina. I wanted to get the insider scoop on what her process is like for reviewing resumes. Stick with me, she didn't hold back.
Amy reviews hundreds of resumes and conducts dozens of screening interviews each week for her company. Often, she lists a job on a Thursday and by Monday has 300 resumes waiting for her review. She's short on time and has to find the very best candidates. You know what she told me?
“If you don’t get my attention in 3 seconds, you’re done. Have something that makes you stand out.”
My jaw hit the floor a little bit on that one. What does your resume speak in 3 seconds? She held up some recent offenders who stood out for the wrong reasons. One was a page that looked like any other Word document. Every word was in the same font and size (even the name at the top). It was all paragraphs. Phew. The other had a large neon yellow box on one side that had a small text box on it that simply read "Resume/CV". Oh my. Lessons learned here: paragraphs=bad and large bright boxes with no purpose=worse.
So how does she do it? How does she decide from a stack of 300? Well, she sets aside a large block of time and prints every single applicant's resume. Bet you weren't expecting that step. (Consider this another hot tip, make sure it prints well) That image is of her actual folders stuffed with resumes.
This brings us back to that "3 seconds" statement. She said, "I'm not hunting and pecking to find what I need. I have 50 other resumes behind yours."
Here's what she wants to see:
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Bullets, not paragraphs (5-6 on your most relevant jobs and less on older or less relevant ones)
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Tell her where you are. She doesn't want your street address, but she does want to see either by your recent experience or you listing your City/State that you're local. Her positions are all hybrid. In her case, she needs to know you can come to the office.
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She wants your phone number and email front and center with your name. She shocked me with this...50% of the resumes she reviews have NO contact information on them. This feels like common sense, but clearly not as common as I thought.
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If your last 4 roles were the exact same role in different companies, choose one summary bullet consistent for each and then give her some ways they were different in the other bullets. Do NOT copy and paste the same job bullets 4 times in a row.
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Pay attention to the format. Don't have one paragraph on the first page with the rest of it blank and then the other information crammed into page two. Make sure the spread between pages makes sense. (Remember, she's printing them)
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Put your LinkedIn link on your resume and make sure your profile and what you post is professional.
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If you have contract work, note that it is contract next to the title. Otherwise, it just looks like a bunch of short duration jobs.
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Typos? She won't be calling you. She recommends proofreading from the end toward the beginning to give you fresh perspective. If possible, always get a second set of eyes on it.
Amy told me she wants to see those keywords, but anything else you can do to stand out REALLY helps. Maybe your format is very crisp and eye-catching. Maybe you have some unique volunteering experience. Maybe you have some accomplishments that you highlight outside of just your job description. Don't be generic. Keep it relevant and easy to scan.
I'll leave you with one final thought from Amy (and don't worry, there's a part two coming about nailing screening interviews that I didn't have space for today). She told me she rarely gets cover letters. When she does, she takes the time to read them and it can really help you stand out. She noted she has always sent one in her career moves and thinks it makes a great first impression.
This is where I come in. I know cover letters make everyone sweat a little. But, I've taken all the guesswork out. I have a cover letter template for you that has gotten me and my resume clients so many interviews! Click here to get my template and my real life example of how I've used it when applying. Save it for later! You'll be so glad you did.
Want to know how to create a resume that passes the "3 second rule"? I've got everything you need inside Resume Roadmap: Your Complete Guide to Apply with Confidence.
