Tap Into A Recruiter’s Psychology And Get “Noticed”

Oct 23, 2020

5 minutes

Job seeking is not the most automatic and easy of processes but to be at an edge as you look for your next ideal job, consider a recruiter’s psychology and try to use it to your advantage. Don’t overthink it, just stick around and discover what recruiters really look for when hiring. First and foremost according to research, it is estimated that a recruiter will take only 8 seconds on your resume, the big question is how do you get their attention within such a short span?

Most job seekers want to share everything about themselves in their resume; therefore, their resume becomes cluttered and overwhelming for the recruiter. Moreover, the resume lacks a clear purpose making the recruiter confused about how a candidate’s skills will translate to the role in which they’re applying.

The career site discovered the resumes where recruiters spent the most time and focus had

  • an overview or mission statement at the top of the first page
  • a clear flow with title headers and marked sections supported by bulleted lists of accomplishments
  • relevant keywords presented in context throughout the resume

Take away Tips

Simplicity is your strong suit

When we talk of simplicity we don’t mean have a flat resume! The fact is the person hiring you for the position has probably not been in that position and therefore a cluttered resume does not paint a clear mental picture and will automatically get you into the rejected pile. Being clear, concise, and to the point by pointing out your marketable skills and relevant management experiences will put you at a better advantage.

More to that cutting off extra information like experiences that are not relevant to the position you are applying for will allow you better chances at the job opportunity. This puts greater emphasis on the information that actually matters to the recruiter. Secondly, keep your resume “short and sweet” try to keep your resume to one page, but no more than two pages.

Last but not least, avoid repeating information as it paints your resume redundant. Another pro tip is to ensure that your resume is up to date while you maintain 5 to 10 years relevance.

Key words are ‘key’

Job seekers often complain about not getting their resume past the applicant tracking system (ATS). The reason being is because the ATS looks for specific keywords that are already in the job description. As a job seeker, it’s important to tailor your resume to include those keywords that are relevant to your experience.

Read through a job description thoroughly and try to align your skills and experiences to the particular key words reflected. You can do this by supporting those keywords with professional experiences that demonstrate you are knowledgeable. The worst thing you could do is lie about or exaggerate your experience.

Tailor Your Resume To The Position

Most job seekers have multiple resumes. Each resume is tailored specifically for the role in which they’re applying by using the keywords in that job description. If you have a broad background and are applying for various types of positions, it’s important you tailor your resume to speak to the skills of those positions.

For example, if you’re applying to a developer position, you would want to move non-relevant positions to “Additional Experience”, personalize your summary and skills section as well as the bullet points from your current and previous positions.

Most recruiters appreciate a carefully crafted resume that shows the job seeker took time to fully understand the job description by demonstrating what’s unique about them that will bring value to the job.

Focus on specific accomplishments

Do not be vague when it comes to describing your skills. Use specific examples that point to what you have accomplished rather than what you have done. Candidates that stand out are those that supply a sample of their work. Be it writing, design, marketing or something else. Those that go an extra mile to show what they can do land interviews.
NB: Everyone can write a good resume but a sample will prove you can actually do the job.

Play Your Cards Right

Being a job seeker you have to think strategically like you would play a game of cards. Let’s be real, you can’t keep applying for different listing and coming up short only to consider yourself out of luck. No! You create your own luck! If you are looking at a potential employment opportunity somewhere, do not just wait on a job board to submit your application.

You should network to find someone who knows a person within the company that can be sent your resume to forward to the recruiter or hiring manager. Referrals have a much better advantage of landing interviews as opposed to non-referrals. Connecting with a person who can put you forward for the position is critical to your job search.

Look at platforms i.e. LinkedIn to help you build a network that will work to your advantage.

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