Showing posts with label Recruiters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recruiters. Show all posts

2/6/13

What Are Hiring Managers and Recruiters Looking for in a Resume?

Those few seconds then are all you've got to earn yourself a schedule for an interview. Otherwise, your profile might just find itself under a large pile of other resumes. Most people then wonder why they never got a call after waiting for weeks.

Given that circumstance, what then are the things that hiring personnel look for in a resume?

It is very important that you present your profile in a way that is not distracting to the reader. The clearer the presentation style, the more information you get to send out to the recruiter. Too much visual elements may take more than just a few seconds to skim through. They most of the time hide more relevant information and may affect the decision making process. The longer it takes to understand the content of the profile, the farther you are away from getting that chance for an interview.

What most jobseekers normally do wrong is creating resumes that fit all types of jobs. If you want to impress prospective employers and lure them into hiring you, submit a tailored fit resume. Submitting an all purpose one will simply not do the trick. And here's why.

An all purpose profile will reflect all the things you are good at. It may range widely from engineering to business administration. At times, it is tempting to let the employer know that you are a jack of several trades. However, it may also lead them to think that you are a master of none. For that reason, you need to highlight your strengths in relation to the position you are applying for. Do not cram all experiences, accomplishments, and skills in a single profile. Employee seekers are looking for individuals who are masters of their crafts and other experiences may be irrelevant as of the moment.

Needless to say, if you are applying for an engineering position, you do not need to highlight your culinary experience just to get the job. On the contrary, draw as much attention as you can to all your strengths in relation to your experience in the engineering field. An approach as simple as that will do the trick. In this case, it does not matter how many jobs you apply for in a day's time. You need to customize each application as much as possible.

In highlighting your strengths, focus on the accomplishments and awards rather than the job responsibilities. Job responsibilities are to be done by every employee of the same position. On the other hand, accomplishments and awards tell stories of how well you have done your job. Let your resume tell a story of how good an employee you are and you will be on your way to finding your dream job.

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11/5/12

A Good Resume Catches Recruiter's Attention Easily!

Resume or Curriculum Vitae is one of the most important documents in the life of a job aspirant or a final year student. In fact the resumes are those word documents that summarize the qualification, skills, education, work experience and accomplishments in one or more pages, aimed at getting the attention of the future employer. Similar to changes happening in the life of a person, the resume also requires change depending upon the changes happening in the academical as well as the professional life. Resumes must be constantly tailored and updated to stay on top of the employer`s database.

In case if you are venturing into different categories of work, it is very important to maintain multiple drafts of resume to choose the best one during the job interviews. The resume is the document that creates the first impression with the employers. If the candidate is able to highlight all the skills, experience and qualification that the employer is looking for, then he or she will be able to grab the job quickly. A perfect resume easily catches the attention of the recruiter and hence it is important to highlight the achievements as well as the job experience correctly.

In a resume, the cover letter, formatting, tables and each paragraph has its significance. Cover letter should contain a small briefing of you with minimal information, which should not exceed a page. Cover letter should approximately contain three paragraphs, in a specified format. The initial paragraph should contain the career objective as well as the brief introduction of the candidate. You can also mention about the source from which you were informed of the job vacancy or the contact of the person who referred you to this particular opening.

The second paragraph covers the essential information in terms of skills, qualification and pertinent abilities that would benefit the organization. It can cover how your skills have helped the company to drive the project or make better sales or reduce the work load. The last paragraph highlights the personal information through which the employer will be able to get in touch with the candidate. The candidate should not forget to include name, email, telephone number and fax number, in case if they are available. Be sure to use a professional and clear email address. Remember that if the candidate is having a well-written cover letter, it serves as a window in to the personality of the candidate than their actual skills.

Click here to know more about the resume cover letter.

Read more ...

10/1/12

A Good Resume Catches Recruiter's Attention Easily!

Resume or Curriculum Vitae is one of the most important documents in the life of a job aspirant or a final year student. In fact the resumes are those word documents that summarize the qualification, skills, education, work experience and accomplishments in one or more pages, aimed at getting the attention of the future employer. Similar to changes happening in the life of a person, the resume also requires change depending upon the changes happening in the academical as well as the professional life. Resumes must be constantly tailored and updated to stay on top of the employer`s database.

In case if you are venturing into different categories of work, it is very important to maintain multiple drafts of resume to choose the best one during the job interviews. The resume is the document that creates the first impression with the employers. If the candidate is able to highlight all the skills, experience and qualification that the employer is looking for, then he or she will be able to grab the job quickly. A perfect resume easily catches the attention of the recruiter and hence it is important to highlight the achievements as well as the job experience correctly.

In a resume, the cover letter, formatting, tables and each paragraph has its significance. Cover letter should contain a small briefing of you with minimal information, which should not exceed a page. Cover letter should approximately contain three paragraphs, in a specified format. The initial paragraph should contain the career objective as well as the brief introduction of the candidate. You can also mention about the source from which you were informed of the job vacancy or the contact of the person who referred you to this particular opening.

The second paragraph covers the essential information in terms of skills, qualification and pertinent abilities that would benefit the organization. It can cover how your skills have helped the company to drive the project or make better sales or reduce the work load. The last paragraph highlights the personal information through which the employer will be able to get in touch with the candidate. The candidate should not forget to include name, email, telephone number and fax number, in case if they are available. Be sure to use a professional and clear email address. Remember that if the candidate is having a well-written cover letter, it serves as a window in to the personality of the candidate than their actual skills.

Click here to know more about the resume cover letter.

Read more ...

8/23/12

A Good Resume Catches Recruiter's Attention Easily!

Resume or Curriculum Vitae is one of the most important documents in the life of a job aspirant or a final year student. In fact the resumes are those word documents that summarize the qualification, skills, education, work experience and accomplishments in one or more pages, aimed at getting the attention of the future employer. Similar to changes happening in the life of a person, the resume also requires change depending upon the changes happening in the academical as well as the professional life. Resumes must be constantly tailored and updated to stay on top of the employer`s database.

In case if you are venturing into different categories of work, it is very important to maintain multiple drafts of resume to choose the best one during the job interviews. The resume is the document that creates the first impression with the employers. If the candidate is able to highlight all the skills, experience and qualification that the employer is looking for, then he or she will be able to grab the job quickly. A perfect resume easily catches the attention of the recruiter and hence it is important to highlight the achievements as well as the job experience correctly.

In a resume, the cover letter, formatting, tables and each paragraph has its significance. Cover letter should contain a small briefing of you with minimal information, which should not exceed a page. Cover letter should approximately contain three paragraphs, in a specified format. The initial paragraph should contain the career objective as well as the brief introduction of the candidate. You can also mention about the source from which you were informed of the job vacancy or the contact of the person who referred you to this particular opening.

The second paragraph covers the essential information in terms of skills, qualification and pertinent abilities that would benefit the organization. It can cover how your skills have helped the company to drive the project or make better sales or reduce the work load. The last paragraph highlights the personal information through which the employer will be able to get in touch with the candidate. The candidate should not forget to include name, email, telephone number and fax number, in case if they are available. Be sure to use a professional and clear email address. Remember that if the candidate is having a well-written cover letter, it serves as a window in to the personality of the candidate than their actual skills.

Click here to know more about the resume cover letter.

Read more ...

7/5/12

How Recruiters Find Your Resume

Finding the appropriate resume and escalating it to the recruiting department are the recruiters' job. It is sure a task to go through the resumes and decide the short listed candidates. Keywords do the essential trick here, if you wish to help yourself and the recruiter as well. Be it online or in the hard copies of your resumes, it is an absolute must to highlight the keywords according to the job profile. The following paragraphs will elaborate on this further.

There are some important points that one can keep a check on and ensure that one's resume gets the recruiters' attention. It is not always the credentials that make for an opportunity for getting closer to the job you want. It depends on the way you draft and present your qualifications while writing professional resume.

Keywords in Resume

When writing for a developer's job, you know the requirements best, i.e. the employer is looking for a prospective employee who is well versed with certain programs and software languages. Here in the resume, you should make sure that you attract the recruiter's attention towards this qualification of yours.

At the same time, if you have work experience and have worked with the some company with the similar work profile or designation, do mention it in the resume by making a different section like a professional summary.

Resume Format for Attracting Recruiters

The resume has become an advertisement document nowadays and just like keywords, it is important to format the resume well to get the required response. Functional resume is one of the formats of writing resumes and has a special purpose. Unlike before, where candidates just used to bother about the job profile and information about the company, it is equally important now to present your credentials in a sellably presentable way.

Appropriate Resume Skills

Putting the appropriate resume skills is important because seeing those certain sections of the resume, the recruiters decide on the selection criteria and call you for the interview. Depending on the work profile, your qualification, and your experience, you can choose to present them in different sequences or order of importance.

For the above mentioned points, it is advised to go through different professional resume samples available for free, because getting noticed is directly proportional to increasing your chances of getting through to the interview room. Wish you all the best for job hunting!

Jean D Paul is an expert author who can guide you with his post in writing your professional resume. His readers are benefited by his post about resume writing they have successfully implemented his tips of writing professional resume. You can also get resume help on his blog resumesandcvs.wordpress.com

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5/10/12

How Recruiters Find Your Resume?

Finding the appropriate resume and escalating it to the recruiting department are the recruiters' job. It is sure a task to go through the resumes and decide the short listed candidates. Keywords do the essential trick here, if you wish to help yourself and the recruiter as well. Be it online or in the hard copies of your resumes, it is an absolute must to highlight the keywords according to the job profile. The following paragraphs will elaborate on this further.

There are some important points that one can keep a check on and ensure that one's resume gets the recruiters' attention. It is not always the credentials that make for an opportunity for getting closer to the job you want. It depends on the way you draft and present your qualifications while writing professional resume.

Keywords in Resume

When writing for a developer's job, you know the requirements best, i.e. the employer is looking for a prospective employee who is well versed with certain programs and software languages. Here in the resume, you should make sure that you attract the recruiter's attention towards this qualification of yours.

At the same time, if you have work experience and have worked with the some company with the similar work profile or designation, do mention it in the resume by making a different section like a professional summary.

Resume Format for Attracting Recruiters

The resume has become an advertisement document nowadays and just like keywords, it is important to format the resume well to get the required response. Functional resume is one of the formats of writing resumes and has a special purpose. Unlike before, where candidates just used to bother about the job profile and information about the company, it is equally important now to present your credentials in a sellably presentable way.

Appropriate Resume Skills

Putting the appropriate resume skills is important because seeing those certain sections of the resume, the recruiters decide on the selection criteria and call you for the interview. Depending on the work profile, your qualification, and your experience, you can choose to present them in different sequences or order of importance.

For the above mentioned points, it is advised to go through different professional resume samples available for free, because getting noticed is directly proportional to increasing your chances of getting through to the interview room. Wish you all the best for job hunting!

Read more ...

9/2/11

How To Write A Cover Letter For Recruiters or Employment Agencies

Headhunters deserve, and appreciate, being treated with an appropriate level of professional respect. They don't have time or interest in any cutesy comments in a cover letter like "test your skills by finding me a job" or "to accept the challenge of finding me employment". These statements may amuse them momentarily before they put your resume and cover letter directly into the trash. So with headhunters, regardless of whether they are working for a local employment agency, a retained search firm, or a contingency, always be mindful of the two following rules, and you won't go wrong:

How To Write A Cover Letter For Recruiters or Employment Agencies

1. Always tell the truth. Be truthful when answering questions, and they will likely assist you in any way they can. If you get caught lying, you will likely establish a career-long mistrust with someone who more than likely has an extensive, diverse, and prominent network of contacts. This is a sure way to guarantee that you will never have access to their contact list, or their assistance. The bottom line is DON'T LIE.

2. Get straight to the point. Again, these people look at resumes and cover letters every day and don't have the time to deal with your little insinuated jokes. You will do much better with a headhunter or recruiter by explaining who you are and what you want from them. Here are some examples:

"I have sent a copy of my resume, because I believe you to be a specialist, representing employers in the field of ________."

"Among your list of clientele there may be a couple of businesses who are looking for an experienced professional for a position as a _________."

"Please find my enclosed resume. As you are a specialist in the field of ________, I thought that you might have some interest in my skills as a __________."

Bear in mind that when you submit a cover letter to employment agencies or executive search firms, you should make reference to your salary and, if relevant, your willingness to relocate.

If you follow these rules, and always write to headhunters in a courteous, respectful, and concise manner, you are bound to get the best results. Headhunters want to find the right people for the positions they have to fill, but do not have a lot of free time for searching through cute and jokey statements. Always get right to the point, and you can't go wrong.

James Crocker is the Owner and CEO of Casual Robot Media. He writes informative articles to aid job seekers with tips for job searching, cover letter writing tips, resume writing tips, tips on professional networking, tips for interviewing, and tips for getting promotions on his website http://employmentgenius.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_B_Crocker

James B Crocker - EzineArticles Expert Author
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8/16/11

How Recruiters Read Resumes In 10 Seconds or Less

The 10 or 20 seconds it takes to read a resume seems to always generate a lot of controversy. Candidates comment on how disrespectful it is, how one can't possibly read a resume in that time and some get angry at recruiters when we talk about this. I hope this article will help everyone understand how we do this. I realize that some still may not like it and will still be angry, but at least you can understand how it works.

First, let me explain why I'm even qualified to write this article. I've been a recruiter for 30 years. I'm sure I have reviewed over 500,000 resumes. I can't prove this but I'm reasonably confident that this is the case, as this is only an average of about 46 a day. I know many days I have reviewed hundreds of resumes and most in less than 20 seconds. I would say the average is probably around 5 to 7 seconds. So keep in mind this is how a recruiter reviews resumes. Others may do it differently.

So for the record when you hear or read about, "reading a resume in 20 seconds," that isn't completely true. It is more than likely, "reviewed the resume in 20 seconds."

Here is my process for getting through 100's of resumes in a short period of time. Others may have different ways and I welcome your comments.

I set up a hierarchy of certain "must haves" or you're out, so at first I'm really just box checking. Generally, 80% of the time these are my knock out blows. There are exceptions to each of these, but I'm dealing with the 80/20 rule. These are not cumulative times. This is box checking, if I see any one of these as I scan your resume you will be excluded.

1. Location. If the client is in Los Angeles, CA and you aren't - goodbye. Few if any clients want to relocate anyone in this economy, and I believe most shouldn't have to. Especially in a huge metropolitan area like Los Angeles. If they do have to consider relocation the position has to require some very unique experience that few jobs do. I can do this in about 1 second.

2. Industry. If my client is in banking and your background is primarily manufacturing - goodbye. These two often are so different that the client isn't open to considering such different industries. This works both ways, if you have a manufacturing background I'm not going to consider someone with banking. 2-3 seconds to determine this.

3. Function. If I'm doing a sales search and your background isn't sales - goodbye. Generally companies are paying recruiters to find them a perfect fit. We never do find a perfect fit, but we have to be very close. They don't need a recruiter to find them someone in a completely different function. 2 seconds to figure this one out.

4. Level. If I'm doing a VP level search and your title is "manager" and you have never been a VP - goodbye. There are exceptions to this, but again it is the 80/20 rule. Again, clients pay me to find them the perfect fit. It is generally way too big of a jump from manager level to VP level, all other things being equal. It works the other way too. If I'm looking for a manager and you are a VP - goodbye. I know you are qualified to do a manager level role, but it is clear you have grown past. Most clients and recruiters aren't willing to take the chance that when a VP level position comes along that you won't be gone. Less than 5 seconds to figure out.

5. Recent Experience. There is some overlap on this one. If I'm searching for someone with international sales experience in the aerospace industry and the last time you held an international sales position in this industry was 20 years ago and since then you have been in retail - goodbye. I can find people with more relevant experience and that is what my client expects me to do. 5 seconds to do this.

6. Education Like it or not, I will only work with people who have a college education and most of the time a master's degree. This is mainly because, as I indicated before, I need to find the very best for my clients. I realize an education doesn't mean by itself that the candidate is the best, but it is one qualifier of many. Also all of my clients require at least a BA.

7. Turnover. If you have had 6 jobs in the last 4 years, or have a track record of high turnover - goodbye. I realize there are good reasons for turnover and that falls into the 20% of the 80/20 rule. I can't define high turnover, but I know it when I see it. 3 - 5 seconds.

8. Functional resume. I don't read them. It is obvious when one has a functional resume they are trying to hide something and I'm rarely going to take the time to attempt to figure it out. 1 second.

9. Obvious things such as, spelling errors, poor format, errors in grammar, too long, verbose and rambling. If after reading it I still can't figure out what you do, goodbye. 5 - 10 seconds

After all this, 80 - 100% have been eliminated. If there are any left, then I will take the time to actually read them in detail.

It is my hope that this information will be helpful to you as you prepare your resume and submit them to recruiters.

Is your Linkedin profile the best it can be. Download for FREE our "8 Matrix Linkedin Profile Assessment" tool. Download this in the, "What New" section at the bottom of the homepage. http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/

Get free sample cover letter that really aligns your background with the company's needs. Download this in the, "What New" section at the bottom of the homepage. http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/

Read more ...

7/19/11

How Recruiters Read Resumes In 10 Seconds or Less

The 10 or 20 seconds it takes to read a resume seems to always generate a lot of controversy. Candidates comment on how disrespectful it is, how one can't possibly read a resume in that time and some get angry at recruiters when we talk about this. I hope this article will help everyone understand how we do this. I realize that some still may not like it and will still be angry, but at least you can understand how it works.

First, let me explain why I'm even qualified to write this article. I've been a recruiter for 30 years. I'm sure I have reviewed over 500,000 resumes. I can't prove this but I'm reasonably confident that this is the case, as this is only an average of about 46 a day. I know many days I have reviewed hundreds of resumes and most in less than 20 seconds. I would say the average is probably around 5 to 7 seconds. So keep in mind this is how a recruiter reviews resumes. Others may do it differently.

So for the record when you hear or read about, "reading a resume in 20 seconds," that isn't completely true. It is more than likely, "reviewed the resume in 20 seconds."

Here is my process for getting through 100's of resumes in a short period of time. Others may have different ways and I welcome your comments.

I set up a hierarchy of certain "must haves" or you're out, so at first I'm really just box checking. Generally, 80% of the time these are my knock out blows. There are exceptions to each of these, but I'm dealing with the 80/20 rule. These are not cumulative times. This is box checking, if I see any one of these as I scan your resume you will be excluded.

1. Location. If the client is in Los Angeles, CA and you aren't - goodbye. Few if any clients want to relocate anyone in this economy, and I believe most shouldn't have to. Especially in a huge metropolitan area like Los Angeles. If they do have to consider relocation the position has to require some very unique experience that few jobs do. I can do this in about 1 second.

2. Industry. If my client is in banking and your background is primarily manufacturing - goodbye. These two often are so different that the client isn't open to considering such different industries. This works both ways, if you have a manufacturing background I'm not going to consider someone with banking. 2-3 seconds to determine this.

3. Function. If I'm doing a sales search and your background isn't sales - goodbye. Generally companies are paying recruiters to find them a perfect fit. We never do find a perfect fit, but we have to be very close. They don't need a recruiter to find them someone in a completely different function. 2 seconds to figure this one out.

4. Level. If I'm doing a VP level search and your title is "manager" and you have never been a VP - goodbye. There are exceptions to this, but again it is the 80/20 rule. Again, clients pay me to find them the perfect fit. It is generally way too big of a jump from manager level to VP level, all other things being equal. It works the other way too. If I'm looking for a manager and you are a VP - goodbye. I know you are qualified to do a manager level role, but it is clear you have grown past. Most clients and recruiters aren't willing to take the chance that when a VP level position comes along that you won't be gone. Less than 5 seconds to figure out.

5. Recent Experience. There is some overlap on this one. If I'm searching for someone with international sales experience in the aerospace industry and the last time you held an international sales position in this industry was 20 years ago and since then you have been in retail - goodbye. I can find people with more relevant experience and that is what my client expects me to do. 5 seconds to do this.

6. Education Like it or not, I will only work with people who have a college education and most of the time a master's degree. This is mainly because, as I indicated before, I need to find the very best for my clients. I realize an education doesn't mean by itself that the candidate is the best, but it is one qualifier of many. Also all of my clients require at least a BA.

7. Turnover. If you have had 6 jobs in the last 4 years, or have a track record of high turnover - goodbye. I realize there are good reasons for turnover and that falls into the 20% of the 80/20 rule. I can't define high turnover, but I know it when I see it. 3 - 5 seconds.

8. Functional resume. I don't read them. It is obvious when one has a functional resume they are trying to hide something and I'm rarely going to take the time to attempt to figure it out. 1 second.

9. Obvious things such as, spelling errors, poor format, errors in grammar, too long, verbose and rambling. If after reading it I still can't figure out what you do, goodbye. 5 - 10 seconds

After all this, 80 - 100% have been eliminated. If there are any left, then I will take the time to actually read them in detail.

It is my hope that this information will be helpful to you as you prepare your resume and submit them to recruiters.

Is your Linkedin profile the best it can be. Download for FREE our "8 Matrix Linkedin Profile Assessment" tool. Download this in the, "What New" section at the bottom of the homepage. http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/

Get free sample cover letter that really aligns your background with the company's needs. Download this in the, "What New" section at the bottom of the homepage. http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/

Read more ...