As a former search firm recruiter, I am often asked “How long do you take to screen a resume and what do you look for when reading resume?” There is the first incorrect assumption: Resumes are not read by most recruiters. They are scanned the way most of us scan websites looking for information. Think about the last time you looked at a website: We don’t read websites, we scan them looking for specific keywords and phrases and assessing the visual feel to decide if we should keep clicking through the website or move on to the next search result. If we don’t see words we like/need or we don’t like the visual feel of the website, we move on to the next result happily provided by your search engine. That process can take most of us as little as 15 seconds.

When performing the initial scanning of resumes determining which candidates I would call, I always looked for (and trained numerous recruiters to seek out) the following initial pieces of information:

1. What Job Are You Applying For? – Have a Target Title: In your summary section, have a target title outlining the job you are pursuing. Don’t risk letting the recruiter have to decide what job you are applying for within their company. It is possible they won’t decide and just put you in the ‘no’ pile and move on to the next candidate who spells I out for them. Or they may wrongly assume the role you are pursuing. Or worse, they may realize what job you are applying to but think you are a poor communicator in doing so in an unclear manner.

2. Where Did You Work? Knowing where you work gives the recruiter context to your targeted job title. The Director of Marketing at the local doctor’s office and The Director of Marketing at a Fortune 500 company are two different jobs despite having the same title. Make your employers names easy to read and identify, as it helps the recruiter place your experience into context.

3. How Long Did You Work There & When? Recruiters need to know the chronological order of your employment. Period. Functional resumes and any format that disguise the dates do the exact opposite of what job seekers want in using these formats—and it annoy recruiters since they have to work to find the dates and put things in context.  If you were a Director of Marketing 15 years ago versus a Director of Marketing today—those are two different jobs even though they share the same title.  If you had the job for 10 months versus 10 years, that tells a recruiter two different stories. A recruiter must have time frame for your resume to have meaning.

4. Where Are The Numbers? Recruiters may not take the time in this initial screen to read every stat and detail, but recruiters want to see numbers on a resume upon first scan.  When I scan a resume and see no numbers present in the content, it automatically makes me wonder if this person is achievement driven. Companies do not want to hire task masters—they want achievers. Having numerical measurement in some form, does not have to only refer to money, can set forth a subliminal impression that you are an achiever and you can express yourself comfortably in that manner.

5. Where Did You Go To School? Again, knowing where you went to school helps recruiters put things in context. This is not to assume recruiters always want to see that you went to an Ivy League school.  If you attended a local regional school and went on to a Fortune 100 management job that tells a great story. If you went to a prominent school and are engaged in a start-up initiative, that tells an intriguing story. All the pieces, of which education is one, contribute a valuable piece to your story.

6. Does Your Resume Look Good And Is It Easy To Read? When a recruiter reads your resume, are they thinking, “What was he thinking with this format?” – Is the format dated, poorly formatted, visually unappealing and simply hard to read or understand? If a recruiter does not notice anything about your formatting, then you are at least not doing damage to your presentation. Ideally, you want something to think, “This person gets it” when they click open your resume. You have less than 5 seconds for that first impression and only one shot to get it right.

One of the best online sites for jobseekers is indeed.com. Indeed is the #1 job site worldwide, with over 60 million unique visitors and 1 billion job searches across more than 50 countries each month. I recommend it to my clients and use it in my job search coaching process. Indeed lists jobs from a huge assortment of job boards and company listings, so rather than visit all the popular job boards and employers’ websites one by one, you can “one stop shop” at Indeed. It can save precious time that you can use to contact people directly—a key activity of a successful job search. You can set up Job Alerts from Indeed with pre-determined, filtered job searches of jobs you want to be emailed to you. And best of all, it’s all free. But many jobseekers don’t take advantage of all the capabilities that Indeed has to offer. Here are a few that can help you take your job search to the next level:

1. Indeed Resume – Indeed has over 60 million visitors each month. Millions of job seekers have created a Indeed Resume. Creating an Indeed Resume is an extremely easy way to help you get noticed, as simple as uploading your existing resume to your profile. “Because Indeed Resume is open to all companies and free to search, your resume can be found by many more employers than would be possible with a traditional job board’s resume database,” says Sophie Beaurpere, Director of Communications for the company. And another bonus, she adds, is that “you can also use your resume to apply to jobs directly through Indeed.”

2. Indeed Mobile: If you’re one of the millions of people with an iPhone, iPad, or Android smartphone, there’s an Indeed app for you. Actually, says Mike Werch, a Communications Manager with Indeed, “you can use Indeed to find jobs and save your searches on the go with any web-enabled mobile device.” And as with the regular Indeed site, the apps are free. Go to indeed.com/mobile for more information. (more…)

Your resume and job search has to now contend with iPads, iPhones, Android phones, Blackberries and every other type of old and new tech device in between. The job search and the recruitment model is going mobile like the rest of business and every other industry—if they are smart and want to stay ahead of the competition. So how can job seekers be ready for these technological adjustments and what should they expect? (more…)

New Year. New Job. New Opportunities. “But I have been looking for a job, Lisa, so searching for a job is not new for me. I need to recharge my efforts to get results…where do I start?” If this is you, I empathize. For some, this is a new year that brings new perspective. For others, it is just another day in a life that has been focused on looking for a new position. If you need to pump some new mojo and energy into your search to get results that you want and land that next job faster, here are the six things you can do today…or even this week: (more…)

Brought to you EXCLUSIVELY by Career Directors International (CDI)

Is it time to update your resume? If you are not sure, take this short quiz:

1.  Does your resume have an objective statement?

2.  Do you believe a resume must be one page?

3.  Have you used a wide, left-margin format?

4.  Is your resume missing a core competency section?

5.  Are your job descriptions mixed in with your accomplishments?

6.  Does your experience go back more than 10-15 years?

7.  Have you completely bulleted your entire resume?

8.  Did you complete your resume with “References Available Upon Request?”

If you have answered “yes” to any of the following questions, consider the fact that it is time to update your resume on your own with The Do-It-Yourself Branded Resume Kit or utilizing Chameleon Resumes to create the update for you.

Much a buzz about email addresses on resumes. The email provider listed in your email address can have positive, neutral or negative effects on how a hiring manager starts to read your resume. After all, the email address is placed right under your name in the top third of your document—the prime real estate spot on your resume.  How do I know this matters? As a search firm recruiter for 13 years and having the input from a robust network of recruiter friends, I can tell you how this small piece of information can possibly set the stage for your first impression and how your information gets read by recruiters. Here’s how you can make your email address matter: (more…)

Creating a social media profile is a business necessity in today’s job search marketplace. We are not only talking about Linkedin, but also Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and other niche sites. According to the most recent issue of HR Magazine issued by The Society of Human Resources Management, 78% of companies are using LinkedIn for recruiting, 54% are using Facebook, 44% are using Twitter and 18% are using blog searches. There were even some cited as using YouTube and MySpace for recruiting. So why is this important? Bottom line is if you are doing a job search and you are not on most of these mediums, you will be at a serious disadvantage in landing your next role. Here are four reasons why: (more…)

I have a friend, a high level executive, who is uses Facebook only for personal stuff, is barely present on Linkedin and sees no value in Twitter. Now I know having a vibrant presence on social media tools is not a requirement to live fully in this world, except that he is eager to find a job. He is looking diligently and working his network strategically to no avail. As his friend, I explain how it is unfathomable to me in this day and age to conduct a job search without using these social media tools more robustly. He replies, “Well, I want to maintain my privacy.” My reply? “Well, it seems to be working. No one is finding you.” (more…)

It’s hiring season! Are you ready? In addition to the summer being over and kids going back to school, it is the time of year where employers hire talent to create and/or implement strategic plans that will ensure next year exceeds expectations. Good companies are gearing up, hiring the right people and allocating resources to capitalize on the opportunities presented in the current market. Yes, there are opportunities. Are you ready to be snapped up? Here are steps to ensure you are positioned to make your next move: (more…)

I mean no offense to my recruiting brethren with my title heading. (I am a former recruiter for those who do not know.) We are certainly not idiots. Just overwhelmed. Job seekers need to know that corporate and search firm recruiters are overwhelmed with resumes and communications from candidates who are earnestly seeking their next position (sometimes using guidance from job search coaches like me ).

Knowing this fact, I tell my clients that being qualified is not enough!! Those that are qualified will rise to the top of the pile and have her resume read ONLY if their resume is idiot-proof. (more…)