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How to Keep Your Resume Out of the Trash Can

The Dream Job.

We’ve all seen this white whale while sailing the high seas of internet job boards, but the big question is: How do you fire off that resume and make it stick into the fleshy hide of The Dream Job’s hiring manager?

First, you have to realize that someone making hiring decisions probably sees hundreds of resumes during the process – and she or he needs to see something a little bit different to hook and hold their attention. It all starts with a good first impression, and continues with visually-engaging content that continues to push all the right buttons.

Have a Good Email Subject Line

Whatever you do – do not apply to a job with a boring, standard subject line. Unless the ad specifically says otherwise, try to customize your subject line by including something from the job posting itself. For example, if a company is looking for “an accountant that challenges the status quo,” try something like – “An Accountant Who Can Shake Up Your Staff.”

Of course, you have to keep it professional and make sure that your subject line fits the tone of the job posting.

Follow Instructions

Make sure your resume and any other attached materials follow all instructions given by a job posting. If the ad asks for professional references, don’t submit contact information for your college buddy who slings strawberry margaritas down at Chili’s. Also, make sure your resume copy is error-free. There’s just no excuse for bad grammar or spelling these days.

Use Precise Facts and Figures

Twitter users know that to get your point across you have to get down to brass tacks fast to be effective, and using facts and figures is one of the best ways to do that. If you’ve made efficiency improvements at a job, try to quantify just how much time and money your improvement saved.  If you’ve improved production, make sure you can quantify your results.  These professional achievements should be written in a result-then-cause format. For example, stating that you “Saved the company $150,000 dollars annually” by reusing materials or shutting down a machine while it’s not in use.

Keep It Tight

Go in with the mentality that your resume might be the 60th or 70th document someone is looking at in a row. A hiring manager doesn’t want your life story at this point, just the relevant information. Keeping paragraphs short and using bullet points is also a great way to frame your information by using the white space around it. Our eyes are drawn to objects that are visually framed, making well-framed information easier on eyes that are starting to glaze over.

Tell a Story

After you gotten everything as tight and compacted as possible, make a final pass through and try to see if you’ve told your reader a story. Little tweaks here and there can flesh out a mini-narrative that has a better chance of sticking in the mind of a decision-maker and out of the trash can.

Crafting a resume is one of the toughest tasks when it comes to looking for that dream job and CAREERXCHANGE® can help you flesh out your professional history in a way that pops. Contact CAREERXCHANGE®, one of the top Talent Acquisition firms in South Florida to get started today.

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