Career Talk JDR

The three most important aspects of the resume: Emphasis, Emphasis, Emphasis.

Okay, here’s the situation. I’m a recruiter and I’m advertising a systems architect position for one of my clients.  I have a desk full of job orders to fill and more under- and overqualified candidates than I can possibly interview in a month’s time, and they’re steadily coming in by the droves. My ad requests candidates to first submit a resume. If you are qualified, I will contact you. And you can bet I will because I need to fill this position before my competition scoops me.

John Q ignores my instructions and calls instead. Just like any other recruiter with too many callers and too little time, I normally pre-qualify a candidate on paper before I invest an hour discussing the particulars. However, I’m desperate for the right candidate, so I reluctantly take his call. And I’m glad I did. He is exactly what I need. I tell him to email his resume ASAP. When my inbox chimes, I open the resume with high hopes. But I’m sorely disappointed and now understand why John, as he put it, ‘can’t seem to get an interview.’ What I have in front of me is a one-size-fits-all resume. And buried deep within the resume are vague hints at his systems architect work that we discussed in detail for almost an hour. Where is all the good stuff he told me? It’s a fortunate thing he got through to me on the phone because otherwise I would’ve never given this guy a second glance based on his resume. I call him back and coach him on the necessary revisions. I get him set up with my client and provide him with the basic interview tips. John, bless his soul, gets the job, and I have a happy client who believes in me.

 Unfortunately, not every job seeker gets a second chance like John. In fact, I’m quite certain I have more John Qs than I realize; but I’ll never know because I don’t have the luxury to interview every candidate whose resume doesn’t meet my job criteria. I can only go by what’s on paper. That’s why your resume is so important.

Tip: Revise your resume to showcase your experience as it relates specifically to the position for which you’re applying.  

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