Work Smarts
Create a résumé that will stand out
As director of global recruiting for GalaxE Solutions, an IT company with offices in Detroit, New Jersey, Canada and India, Ryan Hoyle estimates he sees several hundred résumés a week – a number that can spike to the thousands when the company receives media coverage.
With so much competition, Hoyle says creating a resume that will grab a recruiter’s attention is more crucial than ever.
“Finding applicants is not a problem – processing candidates is,” he says. “A resume’ is a summary of individual work experience. What stands out are résumés that clearly accomplish that goal.”
With that in mind, here are Hoyle’s tips for making your résumé get noticed – for the right reasons.
Keep your resume to two pages.
Hoyle says he will allow up to three pages for those n fields where technology changes rapidly for seasoned professionals. But, he’s seen résumés up to 10 pages long – a big no-no.
Make it reader-friendly.
Use a bulleted style with quick tidbits that are helpful as opposed to long paragraphs that recruiters have to sift through and often throw in the trash. Hoyle’s advice: “Remember, it’s a résumé, not a biography.’
Create a “key accomplishments” section.
Those who have a long work history should use this section to summarize areas of professional growth and specific value they’ve brought to previous employers.
This is not the place to list job duties; save that for the work experience section,” Hoyle says.
Finally, when in doubt as to whether you should include something, Hoyle suggests asking, “Does it make me look good to the person reviewing the resume?” If you’re not sure, leave it out. “You have two pages, so use your real estate wisely,” he says.
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