🚪Getting your foot in the door
Repost from Linkedin
I review every. single. application. that comes my way because I genuinely believe that anyone who takes the time to apply should get a fair review from me. Sourcing is great, but everyone deserves a foot in the door.
However, as I comb through resumes, I'm noticing a few common patterns that make it extremely difficult for me to consider an applicant. For my new grads and career changers, I thought I'd share these tips so newer folks can have the best chance of getting the attention of hiring managers like me, who want to hire you:
1. New grads, what the heck is a business administration degree? Giving a one-liner about what you studied when you are applying for your very first corporate job is incredibly helpful. It lets people like me, who aren't hip to the thing you studied, understand you as a scholar, an applicant, and as a person.
2. List those internships! And tell me what you did as if it were your full time job. What did you work on? Detail out your favorite projects in your description so I know what you're all about.
3. If you are breaking into an industry, tell me how your skills relate to what I'm looking for. It's totally okay if you're new, but take the time to explain to me how and why you're awesome in your resume, not a cover letter. Remember: I want to like you!
4. Readability is key to getting my attention. There are a lot of resumes I've seen that are very hard to read - the text is centered, there are no clear headings, and the information is not structured in a way that I can understand what you're trying to say. Google Docs (which is free!) offers some amazing templates. Or use the LinkedIn feature to submit your LinkedIn instead of a separate resume.
5. Think written substance over graphics. Having an eye-catching resume is awesome, but without written substance, I have no idea who you are or how you might fit into my team. To really convey what you did, why you did it, and how it affected your success, use a lot of verbs.