- How the Recruiter or Hiring
Manager Looks at your Resume
Many resumes are poorly written or lack the correct format. A recruiter or HR manager does
not have time to figure out what you are trying to say or what you want to do for the next
twenty years. If you submit a resume that lacks details or the format is sloppy, it will
be tossed in the "x files". Don't try to entice the recruiter or HR manager with
questions or details requiring us to call you for further information.
Remember, a recruiter knows about the good positions in the "hidden job market".
Less than 10% of available positions are advertised in printed media. It may climb to 20%
on the Internet, but with thousands of companies and hundreds of recruiters, where do you
go? Look for the specialty recruiter in your field to narrow the search. With a recruiter,
target your resume to the position you are seeking. There are two types of resumes. One is
functional in nature, used by sales managers, executives, project managers, business
planners, etc. The other is chronological. This includes technical positions for plant
managers, press operators, QA managers, etc.
*
- The Resume Format
How many pages should your resume be?
1-5 years exp. (one page) 6-14 years exp. (two pages) 15 years exp.
and up (three pages)
Contact information:
Full name, address, work/home phones, email address,
cell or pager number.
Objective:
Be specific. Sales Manager or Production Supervisor is too
broad. Sales Manager in charge of direct sales or Plant Manager in flexographic labels
printing is better.
Education:
List the most advanced degrees first, with degree, name of
college, and date completed. Do not list your courses. If you are inexperienced, then you
may list your GPA.
Summary:
Give a brief description of the actual skills that you have
acquired. Tailor the summary to fit the position you are seeking. The summary is the major
focus of the first page. Use keywords such as P/S, flexo, rotary letterpress, QA,
Aquaflex, etc. If you are an executive, list development, organization, financial. If you
are an pressman, be specific as to what type of press you have experience running. Search
engines and HR databases scan you resume. This will make it easier to find and match your
skills and qualifications to available positions.
Experience: We want to know your accomplishments, not just your job
function. We all know managers have communication skills and management experience. Tell
about the project you were a key member of, how you design under budget, lowered costs,
team management roles, etc. Go into detail about the skills you used in your position that
were previously listed in the summary.
State company name, city, and state, start and finish dates. Give a very brief description
of what the company does or sells. List job title and state your duties, accomplishment in
a brief concise manner. Use bullets if possible.
- The Do's and Don'ts of
Preparing a Resume
Do's:
Use plain white paper. No colored or heavy rag paper. The main focus
is you, not the paper. Use a 10-12 point font size, 12 point preferred. Use
Courier, New Courier, Times New Roman, or Helvetica only. Other fonts do not scan well.
Reread the resume, spell check, be accurate. Only bold each company name, job
title, your name, and headers. Bolding everything takes away from the the format.Don'ts:
No photos, borders, news, or publisher formats. Do not capitalize
everything. Do not underline anything. Scanners convert underlined letters into words that
don't make any sense. Never use third person language as in "Mr. Jones is
responsible..." Do not introduce yourself as "with over twenty years
experience." The reason should be obvious. Forget adding "references available
upon request." This will be needed only AFTER the interview process begins.
|
