How to Use Resumes to Your Best Advantage

1. 𝘽𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚.

The applicant who writes such a resume could well be right for the job, but functional resumes are often written by applicants who have too many job changes, or else have been out of work for a considerable length of time.

2. 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙖.

A resume that is “puffed-up” with trivia (sports interests, hobbies, etc.) may be a sign that the applicant lack experience and skills.

3. 𝘽𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙨.

Many resumes are filled with phrases like, “𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓…,” “𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ…,” “ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜…”Don’t confuse these qualifying descriptions with hard hands-on experience.

4. 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 

Applicants who lack appropriate education often beef up their background with lengthy and often meaningless descriptions of special courses/seminars.

5. 𝙎𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮. 

An applicant who isn’t astute enough/doesn’t care enough to make the resume letter-perfect is generally not a choice to be conscientious on the job.

6. 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 

You can usually assume that what is left off a resume, is a skill or quality that the person doesn’t have.

7. 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠.

This quality may not be easy to detect from a resume, but if you find it, consider such applicants very carefully.

8. 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜. 

They can often tell on the basis of a resume alone, which applicants should be eliminated from consideration.

9. 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.

It could indicate a candidate’s commitment to developing a diverse skill set or adapting to company needs.10. Instead of automatically discarding resumes 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙨, 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. Gaps could represent time spent acquiring new skills, freelance work, or personal development.

11. 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨

A candidate with experience across industries or roles may bring fresh perspectives/adaptability. That align with the challenges of the role.

12. Check if the 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 for the position. Tailoring indicates attention to detail and genuine interest in the role, distinguishing a serious applicant from a casual one.

13. 𝙐𝙨𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙄𝙩

While Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are useful for initial filtering, they may miss nuanced skills or creative job titles that don’t match exact keywords. Always have a human eye on final screenings.