Today’s job applicants have a major challenge – finding the right balance for their resume. Going too long on a resume you lose the hiring manager’s attention. Going too short on the resume you end up not hitting enough keywords and terms to match what the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is looking for to secure a good ranking. So, what are today’s job applicants to do?
Related:How To Quantify Your Accomplishments On A Resume
Find answers to address resume length here. There’s two ways to go about the situation:
What the human reviewer looks for on the resume will be different from what the ATS looks for. By preparing two different versions of your resume, you can customize information to the particular audience.
Resume for the Human Reviewer
When you are sending your resume directly to an individual you may have already spoken to or to someone you know who will personally review it, customize your resume so there is succinct information about your experience and accomplishments. This will allow the individual to assess how well you did the job and where your expertise lies. They will not care so much for specific information defining your role and responsibility on the job because it is generally understood what an Accountant does, what someone working the IT Helpdesk does, what a Web Designer does, etc.
When you are sending in your resume online through a job board, LinkedIn or company web site, there’s a high chance your resume will be submitted to the ATS to be filtered and ranked. In this instance, it’s okay for your resume to run longer as the software will look for roles and responsibilities in order to rank your skill level. The ATS is looking for matches in job title, job description and responsibilities, and other keywords and terms relevant to the job and industry.
2. Follow the Harvard Format for Highlighting Your Roles, Responsibilities, and Achievements
If you don’t want to maintain two versions of your resume, the simple answer is to write your resume using the Harvard format. The Harvard format is used under the Work Experience section of your resume to appeal to the human reviewer and the ATS. It cover both roles and responsibilities as well as your accomplishments on the job in a succinct manner.
To apply the Harvard format to your resume, describe your roles and responsibilities in paragraph form. Follow the section up with bullet points detailing your accomplishments. Give your bullet points impact by indicating the challenge, what action you took, and the results you produced. You also want to prioritize your bullet points by importance. For more tips on using bullets on the resume, read: “6 Tips For Using Bullet Points On Your Resume.”
Finding the right balance on the resume to meet both what the human reviewer is looking for and what the ATS is looking for is a challenge every job seeker faces today. There’s really no way in telling every time which employer is going through resumes manually and who’s relying on the ATS. To ensure your resume doesn’t get dismissed, apply the tips above. And remember, resume length should not be something to worry about if the content you are providing is relevant.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Don Goodman’s firm was rated as the #1 Resume Writing Service in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Don is a triple-certified, nationally recognized Expert Resume Writer, Career Management Coach and Job Search Strategist who has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Check out his Resume Writing Service. Get a Free Resume Evaluation or call him at 800.909.0109 for more information.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.