8 Ways to Ensure Hiring Authorities Will Read Your Resume

8 Ways to Enkoranvers Hiring Authorities Will Read Your Resume 8 Ways to Ensure Hiring Authorities Will Read Your Resume Hiring authorities dont enjoy reading resumes especially not many resumes in onesitting.I know this because I often ask former hiring authorities in my workshops to raise their hands if theyve read numerous resumes in the past. While their hands are still raised, I then ask how many of them enjoyed reading all those resumes. Almost every time, 100 percent of the hands drop.But whether or not the hiring authorities like reading them, resumes are still an important component of the job search.Hiring authorities have to rely on them to decide who gets an interview.While most resumes are not enjoyable to read, some say to the hiring authorities reading them, This resume is different. It will go into the must-read pileinstead of the dont-read pile.How do youmake sure your resume is one of these rare must-reads? Here are a few tips1. Use Short SentencesShorter is bett er when it comes to writing resumes. People who read a ton of resumes dont want to slog through massive paragraphs. Run-on sentences are also a turnoff.Put yourself in the resume-readers shoes. Make their job easier. Short word blocks of no more than 3-4lines are preferred. Consider bolding certain text to highlight important information.2. Target Your ResumeThis concept makes many job seekers cringe, but embracing it is essential. Hiring authorities all insist that your professional resume speak to their specific needs. Make sure you understand the requirements of the position and craft your resume around those requirements. Also be sure to include the right keywords so your resumegets past the notorious applicant tracking system (ATS).3. Include Your LinkedIn URLPretty much every successful job seeker has aLinkedIn profile. If you have a great profile to match your professional resume, include the URL with your contact information.The key phrase here is great LinkedIn profile. I t ell my workshop attendees that a bad profile will only hurt their chances of landing the job. Dont draw attention to a sloppy or unprofessional LinkedIn profile.Its important to musiknote that employers are apt to search for you on LinkedIn regardless of whether or not you include your URL on your resume so its a good idea to make sure your LinkedIn profile is a great one.4. Write a Branding HeadlineI dont often see branding headlines on resumes, buta great one can set you apart from the average job seeker. A branding headline tells an employer who you are and what your areas of strength are. In other words, it brands you.Here is an exampleMarketing SpecialistContent Generation Trade Shows Social Media Cost Control Vendor Relations Company VisibilityYour branding title on your resume will be similar to the one on your LinkedIn profile, save for the fact that the title should be tailored to each job for which you apply.5. Craft a High-Impact Performance ProfileThis section some times gets overlooked in a readers rush to get to your employment history. However, if you throw something in that immediately expresses your value, such as a bolded accomplishment statement, your wertzuwachs profile willbe sure to catch some attention. For example Operations manager who increases companies revenues in excess of 60 percent annually.6. Add a List of Core CompetenciesConsider the person reading tons of resume. Consider that, above all, theyre looking for key skills that match the position. Now consider how easy you can make their job if you add a core competencies section that lays out your skills that fit the role, plus any additional skills that could be tie-breakers.7. Make Sure Your Employment History Is StrongA strong employment historyis the main course of the resume dining experience. Its what hiring authorities focus most on.Its your chance to sell yourself and close the deal. All the tipsmentioned above are fruitless unless you tie it all together in a strong employment history.A great employment historyincludes- A summary in paragraph format for each position that covers the overall duties you performed. The summarys length should not exceed three or four lines, and it should explain what brought you to the position, e.g., Hired to improve manufacturing production and communications among departments.- Key accomplishments in bullet format. Accomplishments should be quantified using numbers, dollars, or percentages. A professional resume will sell you with accomplishments, whereas an average resume willfocus mainly on duties.WrongResponsible for directing engineers to deliver data storage software.RightDirected 15 engineers to deliver storage software on time, boosting sales 55 percent in a down economy.Your accomplishments, if relevant to the new role, will show hiring authorities what youre capable of doing for them in the future.8. Properly Format Your Education SectionThis section usually anchors your resume, unless its a strict req uirement, in which case it would follow the performance profile. This section may seem like a no-brainer, but you should always follow these guidelines most recent degree first, followed by prior degrees. Exclude dates of graduation. For exampleMaster of Arts, Communications with a Concentration in Marketing. University of Boston, Boston, MA.Bachelor of Arts, English. Bentley University, Waltham, MA.Your resume is the most important document in your job search, so it must be written extremely well. Dont forget that employers need to see how you will add value to the organization. Make sure this is apparent.As I like to say, you should hit them over the head with your accomplishments. If you do this, your resume will be a pleasure to read.Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 15 job search workshops at an urban career center.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your o wn pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.