10 tips for a recruiter friendly resume

1- Social media presence

List the complete LinkedIn, website and blog URLs. Even if your CV will probably be read on a screen, the hyperlink doesn’t always work.

Recruiters, both internal and agency, are relying a lot more on social media. Being part of the pool of candidates who understand the importance of having a web presence is good.

2- Summary section

Sum up your experience in one sentence that includes:

- Total years of experience and the ones in your specialization

- The importance of the companies you worked for

- Your area of specialisation

3- Your objective

Explain in one sentence the goal you are pursuing, mentioning:

- The job you are seeking

- The career vision you are pursuing

4- Your value statement

A headline that captures your personal brand in five to seven words, revealing your:

- Beliefs

- Reasons you like your job

- Objectives (what you want to achieve through your job)

5- Look smart

Sharing your analysis of the market and the solution you bring to business will catch the hiring manager’s attention and is a good induction to more questions.

6- No picture

Even if I like a picture on a CV, a recent survey of recruiters showed that they reject CVs with photos 88% of the time.

7- Presentation

Integrate no more than 2 colours in the category/company headers and job title.

8- Images

To call attention to certifications, company logos, etc. or make it more visual, you may consider inserting images. But nowadays, resumes are scanned by ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) such as Taleo, Brass, Ring, PageUp, and graphics cannot be garbled.

9- Fonts

These are visually friendly: Calibri, Gautomi, and Verdana.

10- The physical address

Unless you are in the countryside or very specific about the time spent in transport, mention only the borough.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet