6 Key Areas Recruiters Pay the Most Attention to on Your Resume

Posted by in Career Advice •


Ever wondered to yourself what the most critical areas are on your resume when a recruiter is giving it the initial review? As a former hiring manager, I will tell you exactly where I’m looking when I review your resume. However, don’t just take my word for it; a recent study on recruiter behavior conducted by The Ladders confirms exactly what I’m about to tell you … recruiters spend the most time reviewing the following areas:

 

1.      Your contact information. Believe it or not, this is critical in a recruiter’s search. Mostly because they want to ensure you’re located near the position for which they’re recruiting so that you can easily make it to interviews—and also not have a ridiculously long commute to work.

 

 2.     Your most recent job title. I believe this is why it’s so important to put a job target/job title at the top of your resume. It makes vital information easily accessible to recruiters so that they don’t have to spend too much time searching for it. That being said, they will scan down your resume and look at the most logical place your previous employment would be listed. What they are looking for here is relevancy to your most recent positions. Have you previously been in this position?

 

 3.      Dates of employment. When I was a recruiter I was trained to not call anyone with fewer than nine months of job longevity at previous employers. Fewer than nine months indicates that you may be a job hopper—which makes you a potential risk to that recruiter.

 

 4.     Primary Job Accomplishments/Responsibilities. You can say a lot about what your previous duties were just by simply writing accomplishment-based statements on your resume. Attach numbers or metrics to everything when possible. Don’t just tell them you improved sales; tell them by how much. Don’t just say you can retain customers; show them you can by providing your retention rates.

 

 5.      Keywords/Core Strengths. Most recruiters will scan a bulleted keyword section at the top of your resume to find matching keywords from the position they are trying to fill. Make sure your resume includes the most relevant keywords, and put this section at the top of your resume. Don’t make the recruiter go searching for it.

 

 6.     Education. You can almost guarantee the recruiter is going to be looking at the bottom of your resume to find out if you have the credentials the position requires. If you don’t hold the minimal level of education or certifications for the position, considered yourself weeded out.

 

 These are the top six areas a recruiter will be reviewing in his or her initial resume scan to determine whether you are a match for the opening the company is trying to fill.  And this illustrates why it’s so critical that you customize your resume for each and every submission!

 
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  • Ebony M
    Ebony M •
    Good list! Must agree!
  • Lesia S
    Lesia S •
    The infromation provided gave me an insite an some of the key points on a resume.
  • DENNIS L
    DENNIS L •
    The article was right on target.  However, I'm often frustrated that I don't have the supporting metrics to correlate with acomplishments.  Although qualitative change was clear no one at the corporate level retained quantitative.data
  • Diane J
    Diane J •
    Suggest training or continuting education with dates in gaps. Never mention money, even if related to project costs. Remember, many people are underemployed and many are being downgraded.
  • Tina L
    Tina L •
    Thank you for the helpful pointers regarding resumes.
  • Derralyn W
    Derralyn W •
    This was very helpful! I have been sending out resumes for the longest with not much response.I am a licensed nurse with over 20 years experience !
  • Omele Musa U
    Omele Musa U •
    I think I agree with you with all these because when I was working in the bank these are the criteria the management outline to use when employ
  • Amory J
    Amory J •
    I have found that a long record of successful employment with advancement can override the education component of a resume. Furthermore, a good demonstration of an ability to work very well with other people is often essential. One salient tenet to remember is that each  institution or company is different and sometimes unique in what qualities are
  • Lauren B
    Lauren B •
    I am not a job hopper but I have been laid off at least 4 times in the past 6 years!  How do I represent myself differently on my resume?
  • June C
    June C •
    I want to start a new stage in my life. My goal is to become a Medical Receptionist, however, how would I transfer my retail skills to this position?
  • Devorn R
    Devorn R •
    Very helpful tips, this is really true though
  • Jill W
    Jill W •
    This article made me look at my resume, but everything you talk about is there clear and concise.  I am unemployed from the banking /finance industry thanks to the collapse of the "finance" world in 2008. I was a administrative support person and they wiped us out first, Age is a very BIG problem and HR people are discriminating against people over 50 and if they say they are not, they are lying.  Even if there is no indication on your resume of your age, all they have to do is "Google" and  bing go they know you are over 50. 30 year experience in administrative support means nothing to these HR recruiters.  The next article should be why HR recruiters do this.
  • Rick M.
    Rick M. •
    Well done. The six items is what recruiters have told me. Also, limit resume to two pages, no references ( if a hiring manager wants them let them ask ) and leave enough out so they have to interview you. This can be effective if you write a brief paragraph after your contact information using some data of your accomplishments but would require a conversation to get the full story.     
  • Jeff L
    Jeff L •
    so Jessica, do recruiters discriminate against those who have less than 9 months at a company?What if the only job a candidate could get was temp/contract work? what then?
  • Eren T
    Eren T •
    It has been some time that I have had to update my resume. This information was very helpful to me, I knew exactly what to do! Thank you so much.
  • cynthia g
    cynthia g •
    Points were very relevant to me right now.
  • Brenda C
    Brenda C •
    This is great information , thanks.
  • Brenda C
    Brenda C •
    This is great information , thanks.
  • LeRoy J B
    LeRoy J B •
    I am a small struggling painting business owner looking for a new career path. i agree with all but the education part of this article. i have worked for thirty years in many fields of work. Twenty of those in painting and fifteen of those on my own doing everything a big office has many people doing, separately, the many aspects it takes to operate a business. i personally feel that real world work experience can and should superceed the piece of paper that many say "this is what i know". You only "know it" from "doing it"! I feel corporate America needs to realize and understand this. Quit leaving us self educated behind and give us the chance we deserve.
  • Cathryn H
    Cathryn H •
    I have been working contract positions for the past few years.  I pointed this out on each job but how else can I avoid this appearing as job hopping?
  • Tim R
    Tim R •
    why skim through resumes taking shortcuts? the current market is loaded with qualified passionate people who given an interview might be a fit might just be that 'diamond in the rough', slow down recruitors, take your time, use discrenment, you'll be glad you did
  •  Patricia M
     Patricia M •
    As an experienced and semi-retired RN I have found age discrimination is rampant.  I have interviewed for positions that I was not selected for with a reason offered that they hired another candidate who "they were cross-training" for a position that I am already "cross-trained" for.  What your article omitted is the importance of a cover letter which states the applicant's objectives. The grammar and punctuation are indicators of the applicant's capabilities as well. The cover letter can mention that the spouse was relocated in a job or a company was downsizing, or even that it was a temporary position when hired.
  • Sergio S
    Sergio S •
    This is very helpful and informative information, thank you for sharing. I wish they would have taught us this back in high school.
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H •
    Very helpful. Thank you.
  • Ricardo H
    Ricardo H •
    Very helpful. Thank you.

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