A winning resume will get your foot at the interview doorstep at least 80% of the time.
A winning resume has the power to capture your hirer's attention almost immediately.
A winning resume makes your hirer's eyes sparkle in delight, knowing that there is a good chance you are the candidate they have been searching high and low for.
Do you know?
The average time a recruiter spends reviewing a resume is 7 seconds (HR Dive, 2018). As a seasoned recruiter, I can attest that this statistic is not an exaggeration.
In fact, 7 seconds could be a little too long. I probably took 4-5 seconds per resume on average in the past, given the pressures of volume hiring and inheriting short delivery timeframes that were often a huge part of my key performance metrics.
If you are applying to big, corporate companies, the likelihood of your resume being first screened by an external or internal recruiter before it gets sent into the inbox of your prospective line manager is very high.
Know this too: the recruiter is seldom a subject matter or technical expert of any field. While there are certainly a number priding themselves as specialists, many recruiters are not.
Many of us are expected to be a jack-of-all-trades in order to support the entire company's hiring needs. What this means is, recruiters often are pressured to make quick but accurate judgement calls on a candidate's suitability.
What happens behind the scenes would be the recruiter digesting the must-have vs. nice-to-have criteria given by the hiring manager, thereby using that to sift through the main bulk of applicants for the initial screening phase.
For the average vacancy, the recruiter usually picks the best 3-5 resumes for the hiring manager's interview and selection. The next best 3-5 resumes will also be determined as a backup for contingency.
Things happen and sometimes the choice candidate(s) may have accepted other offers or chose to withdraw application(s).
Your success as a job applicant is therefore highly dependent on writing a compelling resume that will not only pass through the initial gatekeeping, but be perceived as the best 5-10 applicants that would fit the role.
Writing a winning resume
Many would dive right in and start with planning or writing the contents of the resume. My take is, first and foremost, strategise.
Think about what kind of applicant are you and what would you bring to the hiring manager's table. I find that often works best in achieving a true, winning resume.
Are you a/an…
1. Fresh graduate with no formal work experience?
If you are, note that you are most likely pitting yourself against people possessing relevant experiences.
Your challenge is: How do you help yourself stand on a more equal ground against your competitors?
2. Experienced person, but not at all having the range of skills required for the role you are applying to?
All things equal, employers often times favour plug and play candidates. Why? They hit the ground running faster with minimal training/resources needed.
Your challenge is: How do you convince them that you are one of the best 10 applicants out of the applicants bulk?
3. Experienced person, and experiences mostly match the range of skills required for the role applied?
This is the easiest category of resume to work on, out of the 4. Congratulations as more than half your battle is won. Just make sure you follow tips to write a winning resume and secure your foot at the doorstep. And, interview well!
4. Experienced person, but experiences only partially match the range of skills required for the role applied?
This is the 2nd easiest category of resume to work on. Part of the battle has been won with a partial skills match. So make sure you diligently follow tips to write a compelling resume, demonstrating the transferrable skills you possess and make up for the rest by interviewing well.
I will write a separate post at a later date regarding"transferrable skillset is your greatest asset".
The category types mentioned above are definitely non-exhaustive, but I believe they more or less encompass the majority.
A winning resume is the bedrock to a successful job-hunt. However, the greater the odds stacked against you (e.g. job seekers belonging to categories 1 and 2), the harder it is for you to create a winning resume.
For category 1 and 2 jobseekers, you must look at a few other action points such as:
Building a strong Linkedin profile and presence as part of personal branding
Collate testimonials from ex-bosses
Obtain references and have them handy in advance
Find and apply jobs through people you KNOW or have worked for/with, instead of only applying as a cold applicant. Even better if those people are from senior management and can vouch for your attitude and proven track record as they have worked with you before.
Get some internship/pro-bono/volunteer/temporary/contract job experiences in relevant fields to beef up your resume if you are unable to secure a permanent job on the get-go.
Go for upskilling - attend courses, get relevant certifications
Etc.
This is non-exhaustive as well. Do whatever it takes to help yourself write a more compelling resume.
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