Writing a resume is often considered a tough and time-consuming task. I’ll let you in on a little secret. According to Glassdoor and several other reputable sites, recruiters and hiring managers only spend about six seconds reading a resume. That’s right, you have less than 10 seconds to convince the hiring manager that your resume is the one they’ve been looking for!
Being a recruiter and team leader here at Crawford Thomas Recruiting, I’d like to share some insight on what you can leave off of your resume, so that it catches the eye of the hiring manager within those six seconds.
Objective. Career objectives are very, very repetitive. It’s no shock to read that you’re a “qualified candidate, looking for a new position that allows growth and longevity.” Instead, put a personal summary and cater it to the role you’ve applied for. Remember, you don’t have much time. Something short like “Being an outside sales executive for more than five years, with outstanding, proven-numbers, ensures that I am well-qualified for this role. I look forward to assisting
Unnecessary design. Personally, I graduated with a degree in graphic design, so I have seen a lot of really cool resumes that are loaded with graphics and info charts. Having said that, you do NOT need a graphic filled resume to apply for a role in sales, administration, health care and so on. In fact, unless you’re applying to be a designer and the role calls for examples of your work, keep your resume simple and clean.
Hobbies. You’ll have plenty of time to talk hobbies and interests in the interview. Most employers are not searching your resume to see if you enjoy camping, mountain biking or fantasy football. Remember, you’ve got six seconds to make a first impression. Leave the hobbies out, instead, add organizations you were a part of in school. Next to your education, add your fraternity or sorority, student government or sports. Keep it relevant.
Lies. I hate to even put this, but don’t lie. Lying on a resume has come back to bite so many candidates. If you didn’t graduate, if you’re not still currently at your role, if you didn’t achieve those sales numbers, if you’re not fluent in three languages, don’t list it! As a recruiter, we simply do not know if it’s a lie, so we’ll always assume what’s on your resume is the truth. This becomes an issue down the line when the hiring manager runs a check to see if you really did graduate from Harvard. It looks bad on you, it looks bad for the recruiting firm, and you will most definitely NOT get an offer letter.
You’ve got six seconds. Make them count.
