10 Ways Your Résumé Will Capture the Attention of Hiring Managers - Sterling Career Concepts

10 Ways Your Résumé Will Capture the Attention of Hiring Managers 10 Ways Your Résumé Will Capture the Attention of Hiring Managers Is your résumé winning you interviews? A résumé that simply lists duties next to date ranges will not make the phone ring. Read along for a checklist of 10 ways to help ensure your résumé lands in the hiring manager’s “to call” pile: 1. Remove the following phrases from your résumé: “Responsible for…” and “Duties included…” No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. There’s always a better way to express what you’re trying to say without these phrases. 2. Focus on more recent experience while still providing a picture of your background and how your earlier career developed. Show your career progression and be transparent with a chronology. 3. Proofread carefully, including grammar, typos, and proper verb tenses. Also format the document cleanly and organize information clearly. 4. Strong résumés go beyond duties. Highlight your accomplishments and expertise. 5. Stay relevant. Don’t waste valuable real estate on the page with detail about positions not relevant to your current job target. 6. Explain gaps in time rather than trying to hide them, e.g., downsized or stopped to raise children, and explain what you did during the time off, e.g., completed a degree or earned a new credential. Similarly, months and years are more transparent than listing just years and shows you have nothing to hide. 7. Never directly copy anyone else’s résumé content. It does neither of you any good if two identical résumés are submitted for a job. You can refer to résumé templates or styles, but commit to writing your own content â€" or hire a professional to write your résumé if this is the part that sounds tough. 8. While drafting your résumé content, focus on answering the questions “What do you do better than your peers?” and “Why should we hire you?” 9. Integrate keywords and buzzwords appropriately. Do not overload your résumé with them. 10. The best time to update your résumé is before you need it. Keep a running list of accomplishments, and stop once or twice a year to update your résumé so you’re never caught with an outdated document or having to update it in a stressful situation. If you’d like assistance with any of the above, reach out to us to schedule your complimentary 20-minute Job Search Breakthrough session. You’ll get one good idea for your résumé and determine if we’d be a good fit to work together. Your project’s important â€" let an expert help.