By Kathryn Wade, Senior eCommerce Recruiter @ eCommerce Placement

We’ve all heard the old statistic – on average, recruiters take 6 seconds to review a resume before determining whether a candidate is a proper fit for a role. And that’s if a candidate is lucky enough to have their resume escape the dreaded Applicant Tracking System and actually make it in front of a real person!

Recruiters are busy, many receiving tens of hundreds of resumes per day. So how can you make sure your resume sticks out above the rest and captures the limited attention of a recruiter? Take a look at the following tips to see how to get your resume seen and shared with hiring managers.

Tip #1 – Use Keywords, Take Advantage of the Applicant Tracking System

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are tools recruiters use to store, organize, and review resumes. Generally, when candidates apply for roles online, their resumes are automatically put into an ATS. From there, the ATS can scan the resume for keywords that would indicate that the applicant is relevant for the role. Understanding how Applicant Tracking Systems work can help you optimize your resume.

There is a common misconception that an ATS will rule out resumes for consideration if it does not contain the right, or enough, keywords. Recruiters use ATSs to quickly review applications, schedule interviews, and manage the hiring process. Some ATSs can be programmed to screen for specific resume keywords, but it is unlikely that an application would be rejected solely due to a lack of keywords. Most recruiters do screen through resumes to determine if an applicant is qualified. With this in mind, it is still important to include the most appropriate keywords for a role so the recruiter can see that you are a good fit.

To do this, identify the keywords relevant to the industry and role you’re applying for by reviewing the job description! Some keywords an ATS may be looking for include certain software a candidate must know (“Microsoft Word”), skills they must have (“project management”), or descriptive words relevant to an industry (“data analysis”). Review the job description and choose to include words that indicate the main responsibilities and requirements of a role; that is, only if you actually have those requirements, of course.

Tip #2 – Format Your Resume Well and Create an Attractive, Eye-Catching Design

Once your resume is out of the ATS and on the recruiter’s desk, you’ll need to make sure it is designed in a way that draws the recruiter’s attention, and formatted so the recruiter can easily find the information they are looking for. If a resume is unattractive or information is difficult to find, your resume can easily be pushed to the bottom of the pile. Some key tips for formatting include:

Use a legible font in a size that is easy to see.
Differentiate parts of your resume into distinct sections so the information isn’t crowded or inconspicuous.
Use spacing to your advantage. You don’t want one big wall of text. In the same vein, less is more. Don’t over describe or use too many words. Recruiters are spending less than 6 seconds, remember? Keep your descriptions concise and only include what is relevant and impressive.
You can use lines, indents, spacing, boxes, shading, and more to separate text and draw the recruiter’s eye to the most important details.

Tip #3 – Organize Your Information

Think about the different sections that you want to include in your resume. Will you have an objective statement or a summary of skills? Are you including awards and achievements?

Understand that all resumes are as unique as the people creating them. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to write a resume, and there is not a perfect, one-size-fits-all format. Tailor your resume in a way that most accurately represents your strengths in a visually appealing, easy-to-skim format. More information on how to create an easy-to-skim format in Tip #5.

The following are the most common pieces included on a resume and in this order:

-Personal information: Name, phone number, email address, city/state (do not include your full address as this is an outdated practice), LinkedIn URL.
– Objective statement or summary of skills: If you are writing an objective statement, make sure it contributes meaningful information that helps you stand out from competitors. Do not include meaningless platitudes like “to do a good job and bring success.”
-Work experience: This is the largest bulk of your resume and where recruiters will be reviewing most closely to determine your fit for a role. Include companies’ names, the title/titles you held, and dates of employment.
-Education: If you have been in the work force for more than a year or two, your education will go at the bottom of your resume. If you are a new college graduate, it should be at the top before your work experience. Keep this information concise and format it in a way so that it doesn’t take up more than 2 lines. If you do not have a college degree, consider putting certifications or technical degrees you have earned. Do not include your high school.
Awards/Achievements/Honors: This section is not required on a resume and can be included just about anywhere that you choose. It also doesn’t need to have its own section at all, and instead can be included in a bullet point in your work experience.

Do not include the phrase “References supplied upon request” on your resume. This information is assumed by a recruiter and a waste of space on your resume.

Tip #4 – Provide Quantitative Data, Don’t Just Summarize Your Responsibilities

Recruiters and hiring managers don’t want to just see the same information from the job description regurgitated on your resume. They want to know less about what you did on a day-to-day basis and more about the results you achieved in the long run. This is where quantitative descriptions come in.
Use numbers and percentages in your work experience section in order to give a true sense of your contributions to a role and what you can bring to your next one. For example, which of these bullet points gives you a better idea of someone’s abilities?

Identified prospective customers, lead generation and conversion.
OR
Identified and onboarded 12 new clients, increasing average client conversion rate by 37%.
Using numbers in your resume is also a sure-fire way to ensure you are differentiating yourself from your competitors and standing out to hiring managers. Consider also adding context to your descriptions. Compare the following bullet points:
Identified and onboarded 12 new clients, increasing average client conversion rate by 37%.

Identified and onboarded 12 new clients, increasing average client conversion rate by 37%, twice the company average.

Note that you do not need to include quantitative data in each bullet point. Think of the top achievements and contributions you made for each role and use quantitative information in the first one or two bullet points. The rest can be more general descriptions of the work you performed.

Tip #5 – Lose the Fluff, Write with Intention

You may think having more information on your resume looks more impressive. The longer the resume, the more experience a person has, right? In fact, the longer the resume, the more likely it is that the person reviewing it will miss out on key information about your experience.

Understand that resumes are made to be skimmed and will rarely be read in full. Incorporate into your resume only the strongest, most relevant information that is tailored to the company’s needs as outlined in the job description. For example, you may be an expert in Adobe Creative Suite and have many skills to list for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. But is this information more likely to work in your favor or distract the reader if you are applying for a programming/coding position?

With every detail you provide on your resume, think “What is the purpose of this information?” “Why am I including this?” “Will this help the hiring manager understand what he or she needs to know?”. In other words, think about the intention behind the information you are providing.

Also keep in mind that you only need to use a few bullet points for each work experience description. 3-5 bullet points should be enough to convey the work you did and the contributions you made. Anything more than that can distract from the most important information.

Finally, another simple way to tighten up a resume is by removing unnecessary filler words like “a”, “an”, “the”, “by” and so on.

Conclusion
These 5 tips are designed to give you some insight on how you can strengthen your resume and make it more relevant to recruiters. Remember, all resumes are different just as all people are different. Try not to get caught up in finding the one perfect way to write a resume. There is a lot of information out there– even just in this article! If you’re looking for one key takeaway, consider this:

*Read the job description for a role and put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. What skills and experience will they want to see and what will they need to know about you? What will catch their attention and make you stand out from other candidates? Answer those questions (honestly!) and put that information on your resume in a concise, easy-to-skim way. That’s the main idea behind a good resume!