Did you ever wonder how job-seekers get screened out or eliminated based on someone looking at their resumes? When a job-seeker is being considered for an open opportunity, the first person who will read their resume is generally either a recruiter or an HR person. If it's a recruiter, it could be either a 3rd-party, agency-based head-hunter type, or an internal, company-based corporate recruiter. If it's someone in HR, it could be anyone from an entry-level screener to a Director of HR - depending on the size of the company.
This screening and elimination process also applies to proactive searches for candidates done on resume depositories like Careerbuilder, Monster, etc., or on Social Networks like LinkedIn. Basically, anyone who is looking for and screening potential candidates for an open job opportunity goes through this process.
Now I'm sure that you slaved over your resume for hours and hours, writing and re-writing it, revising, refining and retooling it's language until it’s as "perfect" as it can be. If you are like most serious job-seekers, you are hoping that the person who first screens your masterpiece will take their time and read it over very carefully absorbing every detail of your background, analyzing your qualifications and experience, and making a carefully considered and informed decision about your fit for the position they are trying to fill. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. I hate to break this to you but the average resume-reader will give your resume between 20 and 30 seconds of eyeball time on the first pass. They'll scan the first page of your resume diagonally, top to bottom, left to right - rarely progressing on to the second or third pages. If they don't quickly see exactly what they think they want or need right up front bye bye - delete button for you!
In my many years as a recruiter, I've certainly read my share of resumes. There were times when I went through over a hundred a day. I certainly know how this elimination process works! This process is even more brutal now in the current candidate-flooded market. So ... what follows is a peek behind the curtain. I make no apologies for how this process works, or how fair or unfair it is - like it or not, this is simply the way it is. I feel it's best for job-seekers to be informed about this to be able to better navigate the process and avoid obvious pitfalls as they move forward. Read the details at "Recruiter Musings"
http://michaelspiro.wordpress.com/
This screening and elimination process also applies to proactive searches for candidates done on resume depositories like Careerbuilder, Monster, etc., or on Social Networks like LinkedIn. Basically, anyone who is looking for and screening potential candidates for an open job opportunity goes through this process.
Now I'm sure that you slaved over your resume for hours and hours, writing and re-writing it, revising, refining and retooling it's language until it’s as "perfect" as it can be. If you are like most serious job-seekers, you are hoping that the person who first screens your masterpiece will take their time and read it over very carefully absorbing every detail of your background, analyzing your qualifications and experience, and making a carefully considered and informed decision about your fit for the position they are trying to fill. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. I hate to break this to you but the average resume-reader will give your resume between 20 and 30 seconds of eyeball time on the first pass. They'll scan the first page of your resume diagonally, top to bottom, left to right - rarely progressing on to the second or third pages. If they don't quickly see exactly what they think they want or need right up front bye bye - delete button for you!
In my many years as a recruiter, I've certainly read my share of resumes. There were times when I went through over a hundred a day. I certainly know how this elimination process works! This process is even more brutal now in the current candidate-flooded market. So ... what follows is a peek behind the curtain. I make no apologies for how this process works, or how fair or unfair it is - like it or not, this is simply the way it is. I feel it's best for job-seekers to be informed about this to be able to better navigate the process and avoid obvious pitfalls as they move forward. Read the details at "Recruiter Musings"
http://michaelspiro.wordpress.com/
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