Hiring Managers-What information on a resume stands out the most?

Question

What catches your eye first? What impresses you? I am seeking resume-writing guidance and I need some sound advice. Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thank you everyone for your time and advice, I will use all this information!

Answer 1

experience

Answer 2

Besides setting all margins to 1", the most important criteria for setting up a professional resume besides relevant text, is "scanability." Here are some helpful tips:

1. Place just below your identification header [your hame, address, phone, email address] any Conditional Warning Statement such as "Confidential Resume,"Do Not Contact Current Employer," etc.
2. Always fill-in an Objectives category [just below the Conditional Warning Statement] and make sure that he Objective will contribute to the profitability of your future employer;
3. Select a mono-type font such as Helvetica, Arial, Courier or Times Roman; do not select any cursive handwriting styles which cannot scanned;
4. Keep font sizes within a range of 10 to 12 pts.;
5. Avoid styling text with a justified alignment, keep it flushed left;
6. Instead of using tabs to set up blocked text entries, generate a table and use the column and row settings accordingly;
7. Do not place an i.d. picture anywhere on the resume, this is a major taboo due to discrimination issues;
8. Do not place any graphic text [saved as .gifs] onto the resume since it may be overlooked during the scanning phase;
9. List at the very end of the resume your interests which should include travel experiences, language skills, social interactions such as golf, team sports, tennis, etc.

In conclusion, the above helpful hints were designed to allow ease of scanning of your resume into PDF which can then be text captured for seach purposes by your potential employer. If the original resume was created in Word, WordPerfect or Mac Appleworks, it can be Saved As a PDF file which then can be saved as an email attachment. Otherwise, you can simply use a scanner and scan a hard copy of the resume and then save as a PDF file.

Failure to conform the resume to appropriate fonts and styles as outlined above will result in rejection of the resume simply due to the inability of the scanning device to properly index relevant resume entries.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Decent training & experience in the field you are applying for, with the abscence of job-hopping: less than 2 years at any one place--unless you are under 25. More than one page is too much information for the resume screening process.

Also, do not "overdress" for the interview; it makes you look too eager for a job--ANY job. Dress just a step above how you would if you worked there everyday, especially if it is service work. There are people I made my mind up on immediately [NO!], because they looked like they were ready to go ballroom dancing, and what if I needed them to go to work immediately--on a construction job site, or to deliver packages or something similiar? I couldn't use them, and would have to move on to the next applicant.

Another pet pieve is trite sayings such as: Excellent Attention to Detail", being misspelled, or using cheap copy machine paper. Or just about any claims you make that immediatly become apparent that you do not have.

I wish I could give you more positive things to put on a resume, but these are a few of the things that once I see, my mind is made up. Just be prepared to explain everything you put on it, including lapses in employment--which are better that a job so short lived, there is no way I am going to bother checking that referance--they probably do not even remember your name!

Answer 4

Keep it simple. No fancy fonts, don't use 14 font sizes, etc.

Use underlining or ALL CAPS instead of bold on headers. Bold sometimes gets lost if it's copied or faxed.

If your email address is hottie876@yahoo then set up a more professional one to use for job hunting. (Oh, and make sure your MySpace is private and your main picture is classy, at least temporarily.)

Don't include half a page of details about a job you had a long time ago or that isn't relevant.

Find several (smart) friends/teachers/whatever to proofread. You don't want ANY spelling or grammar errors.

Content really depends on experience and the type of job you're looking for. Keep it concise, write everything in past tense (can do your current job in present tense if you want, just stay consistent). Emphasize tasks/projects that are relevant to what you are applying for. You can mention other stuff just not at length.

No personal stuff! If you're looking for a graphic design job and you worked on the college yearbook, that's fine to include, but I don't care that you were president of the ski club.

Answer 5

I am a mgr of an greeting card retailer. What I look at mainly is:
1) Length at other jobs ( like I HATE to see 1 - 2 months here and there) All that this tells me is " is it going to be worht my time to train this person)

2) If I am able to contact their previous employers ( if marked no, then I wonder why, unless they tell me)

3) what kid of jobs they have had before. I do this because I need to know if they will fit into the job I need them to do.

4) Their required salary. Alot of people don't like answering this question I guess because they are afraid they might put a number too high. But when I, as a mgr, look at it I want to see something. I feel like people need to tell me what they think they are worth, when people leave this blank or put like min. wage it tells me they are desperate, which I don't like. If I want to hire someone that I think fits well into the job I am interviewing them for, if their salary requirements are too high I will tell them what I am willing to offer and let them know how our pay raises go.

Hope this helps!! And good luck with your resume!

Answer 6

have a portfolio with you. have an e-porfilio, use good resume paper #24 in white or ivory. most people just print resumes on plain white paper thats fine but with #24 paper makes you stand out a bit more.

Answer 7

Steady employment. The entire outline of the actual resume- the punctuation, veribage, etc. This shows great attention to detail and willingness to follow the rules.

Answer 8

Experience. I have had some good results helping some staff for promotions. Also most positions have requirements and you should make sure that you answer each requirement as this is what it is all about.

Answer 9

how the experience and education meet the employer's needs for the open position. Next, look for grammer and spelling errors, neatness, and clarity. Candidates who are sloppy letter writers will be sloppy employees.

Answer 10

Being with the same employer for a good amount of time. Not jumping from place to place.

Answer 11

I think the most important is making a time schedule and keeping up with the inventory. This is very important because this person is responsible for time and money.