4 Tips to Make Sure Your Resume Is Seen by Recruiters

Having a strong resume is only the beginning of landing a job. A great resume doesn’t do much good if it isn’t seen by the right people. The last thing you want to do is let all that hard work crafting your resume go to waste by not having it be viewed by recruiters who can help you get hired. Here are a few tips on how to get that resume seen by those who can help you land interviews.

1. Customize Your Resume for Each Posting
It’s always a good idea to read a job posting thoroughly before applying. Look for some of the keywords that the posting has and see if you can work those into your resume. Only four out of ten job seekers customize their resume for each job they apply to, so you’ll be sure to stand out. Some companies will even employ software (an Applicant Tracking System) that will scan a resume and look for certain terms. If you are able to incorporate these terms into your resume the odds of it getting through these systems will increase.

Also look to see where your resume could use more detail to fit a specific job posting. If you have “Head of Social Media” on your resume but don’t go into detail and the job posting specifically wants someone to manage a twitter account, that’s a good place to expand that section and incorporate the word “Twitter” into the description. These little adjustments might be tedious to do for every job but they can have a major impact on your resume getting through.

2. Send it Directly to the Company
Lucky for you, job websites are not only great for searching for and applying to jobs, but sometimes they’re simply the gateway to finding all of the jobs a large company is hiring for. If your focus is narrow and you only want to apply at one or two specific companies, but don’t know where to find their jobs, a job site is probably a good place to start. From there you will likely be taken to the company’s direct apply process. The direct apply process can help your resume stand out more and can even circumvent some levels of bureaucracy to get you directly to the recruiters.

3. Strong Cover Letter
While a resume tells your employment history, accompanying it with a cover letter will allow a company to get to know your personal story a little more. Some recruiters will look at cover letters before they consider a resume so strong cover letter writing skills are a must. Don’t be afraid to take some time and lean into a cover letter, view it as the other half of your resume and you will find it can do wonders for landing interviews.

4. Make Sure Your Resume is Error Free
While it might seem redundant, it is vital to make sure your resume has no typos, spacing issues, old irrelevant jobs, etc. These things can stop someone from reading a resume and toss it into the “no” pile. A recruiter will not bother with someone who won’t even spell check their own resume. While you may feel confident that you are error free it’s always worth one last glance before submitting, especially if you tailored the resume to the job.