I’ve been looking at a lot of resumes lately and some things have come to mind along the way.
By no means am I an expert resume writer or the head of human resources, but what I can do is share feedback on how I (personally) react when seeing a resume.
And I very well could be crazy in how I handle resumes, but at least you’ll understand how a crazy person reviews your info.
Here’s a quick rundown of what comes to mind/happens when I first look at a resume – and we’re talking about within the 60 seconds.
- Is it legible? Meaning… did the person use 7 point font (it happens) and present their information in an easy to read format.
- I’ll then start at the top and read their name and any other info included, and then look at high level job info. This normally includes business name, the applicant’s title, a summary of what they did, and then the first bullet or two.
- After looking at their last 2 – 3 positions I put the resume down (I always print them) and Google them. Yes, Google them.
- Then I pull up Twitter, especially for digital positions, to see what their presence looks like. It’s amazing to see the number of candidates that don’t include this information on their resumes.
- After doing a quick online search, if I feel the individual may be a good fit, I’ll start back at the top of the resume and read it more thoroughly.
Now, you have to keep in mind that everyone reviews a resume in their own way, but I anticipate that many other “young’ish” managers do much of the same that I do.
Your resume provides a quick glance of your professional life, but anyone can sound great on paper (in theory). Google (read: online) is where your personality and achievements can shine, and for me, it’s what makes you something other than a sheet of white paper with black ink on it.
