Making First Impressions Count

Recruiters are often asked to provide feedback on why a person was unsuccessful in gaining an interview.

First impressions are very important, as we all know, so why is it that people do not think about this when submitting a resume?

Your resume is your "foot in the door" so to speak, and generally the first contact between yourself and the company's recruitment department so it is imperative that your resume is set out well and is designed to catch the eye of the recruiter.

We want to know as much relevant information about your career as possible as this assists us in making an informed decision as to which resumes gets short-listed for submission to the hiring manager. Some recruiters will have different ideas of what information should be on a resume however, below are some examples of things that we typically look for:

• Have your resume updated with current and job relevant information (ie- contact details, job status, etc.....don't include hobbies and non relevant information).
• Set out your resume with your current position first and dates of each previous position thereafter.
• Include a list of qualifications relevant to the advertised position. These should be listed in a clear and concise way. Highlight any achievements that you have gained throughout your career.
• Include the reason for leaving each job, give as much information as deemed appropriate (ie - offered career development opportunity at .....)
• Include professional referees from both your current and previous employers. If you do not include them on your resume, have them available upon request.
• Ideally your resume should be no longer than 4 pages long (it's a resume, not a novel) and should be professional so ensure that all spelling and grammar is correct.

A few more things to point out:

• No Photos.
• No Company Logos.
• Make the font clear, concise and easy to read, (Arial or Times New Roman font - 10 or 11 point). No flashing banners or fancy colouring.

Most importantly - TAKE THE TIME TO GET IT RIGHT!

With the current market and number of talented and experienced job seekers applying for jobs, it is very competitive. A good resume that is easy to read to assess that you have the skills and experience we are looking for, will get you through the first screening process. As an example, a recent campaign we ran for our Cliffs Project received over 1,000 applications for 128 vacancies.

Ask a friend or colleague to look over your resume before you submit it, a second set of eyes to look over it is always a good thing.