 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Job Search With the advent of email, it is now easier and cheaper to apply to a job posting, so employers are being flooded with resumes. Getting your resume noticed is becoming an increasing concern. The Bank of Montreal receives over 150,000 resumes a year and IKEA receives 50,000. Ernst & Young sees almost 20,000 resumes annually*. What does this mean to an applicant competing with the masses? The good news is that companies who receive volumes of resumes will use scanning programs to look for key words and phrases in your cover letter and resume. If your documents have the key words, you go to the top of the pile. Look closely at the posting for key words and phrases used and make sure they are in your cover letter and resume. Companies that do not use scanning programs tend to use junior HR staff to pre-read the resumes to short list candidates for screening calls. Remember that this person may be weeding through hundreds of resumes! The key to getting your resume noticed by a reader is to make sure your resume highlights your relevant skills for the position and they can be found in a 10 second scan of your resume. A common exercise I use with clients is to find a posting they are interested in and ask them to pretend they are the hiring manager. I ask them to make a list of the top 5 skills or attributes they would look for when hiring someone for this position. Then I take their resume, turn it over in front of them and tell them they have 10 seconds to find those five attributes on the resume. If they can’t be found easily, then it is time to revise the resume so they stand out and are easily identified. The most important real estate on your resume is the top section. Use this section to highlight 5-10 reasons why you are perfect for the position by writing about achievements that prove you have the skill or attribute. For example, instead of writing “experienced manager” write “managed teams of up to 35 staff with consistently positive 360 degree feedback results.” Your resume makes a first impression. Make sure it sells you and gets noticed! * Richard W. Yerema, Canada’s Top 100 Employers (Toronto: Media Corp Canada, 2005)
|
