Unless you have a respectable resume, the chances of getting in the door for a job interview are pretty slim – even if you’re the most qualified person on the planet!

As we’ve stated in previous posts, tracking systems are the first stop when applying to larger companies and only if they deem your resume to have the basic qualification levels will an actual employer lay eyes on it. Then the trick is to get them to look at it for more than 10 seconds.

So what are potential employers looking for that the tracking systems don’t catch?

According to an article in U.S. News these are the top 4:

Clarity and consistency. These seem like simple concepts, but they’re missed astonishingly often. Every section of your resume and the way you set it up needs to be clear, so key information can be found easily. Look at your resume as if it were the first time you were seeing it. Can you quickly identify your organizations, job titles and time periods worked?

Expand. If you think it’s enough to drop in the language of your formal job descriptions at work, it’s not. Once a person decides they like what they see overall and to read your resume in more detail, your bullets will make a big difference. Tell them exactly what you do in your bullets. If the results of what you do aren’t readily apparent, question what you do or did. In other words, what would you ask yourself in an interview to expand upon your resume?

Write well. It’s a dead-end street if you are using cliché phrases, making grammatical or spelling mistakes or writing poorly. Employers read a lot of resumes and they do not like reading the same words and phrases over and over again. Be unique by putting thought into your document.

Length. Though it’s routinely discouraged, people still believe that a resume can be more than two pages if they have more information to add. Don’t fall victim to this grave mistake. In general, your resume should not creep past one page if you have less than 10 years of experience. It should not go past two pages if you have 10 or more years.

Connect with us on social media: Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn – Google+