I circulated a search that I was working on for a VP Contract Manufacturing and Supply Chain. The total ad was about 6 sentences. In the ad, contract manufacturing appeared 7 times and supply chain appeared 6 times.
Just curious, what KEY WORDS do you think I’m looking for on your resume?
Only 2 of 188 resumes received made it a point to ensure these words would stand out on the resume. The 2 had accomplishments using these words, they had them in the heading, the words appeared in multiple positions and they also were in the cover letters/emails. The words were not highlighted in yellow or bold. They just appeared frequently on the resume.
Most of the other 186 simply sent me a generic, one size fits all resume. Some mentioned in the cover letter/email that they had this experience, but many didn’t even do that. Yet their email stated, “I think you will find my background a good fit for this position.” REALLY?
So who do you think got the call from the recruiter?
Another way to look at it is 186 candidates are wondering, ‘Why didn’t I get called for the position, I’m a perfect fit. Those recruiters never call me.”
There are three mistakes these 186 candidates made.
Your resume is your marketing document. Like all marketing documents, it must get to the motivations of the reader. If it doesn’t motivate the reader then they will move on. The 186 did not get to the motivations of the reader.
Download a free sample cover letter that will make sure your resume gets noticed. It has been proven to work. CLICK HERE.
You can download a free audio on, “Why Traditional Resumes are Worthless” from our website. CLICK HERE. It will point out some of the frustration recruiters and hiring managers encounter when reviewing resumes, but that isn’t the reason to listen to this. The real reason is that it will also help make sure YOUR resume stands out. THAT IS THE REAL BENEFIT.
Brad Remillard, an executive recruiter with over 25 years of experience, has conducted over 10,000 interviews and been involved in more than 2,000 executive searches.
Brad previously served as President of CJA Executive Search, which was recognized as one of the top search firms in Southern California. In 2005 he co-founded IMPACT Hiring Solutions a retained executive search firm and best practices hiring company.
He is co-author of two books on hiring. You’re NOT The Person I Hired. His second book helps candidates dramatically reduce their time in-transition is, This Is NOT The Position I Accepted
In 1999, Brad co-founded the American Association of Senior Executives (AASE), one of Southern California’s largest career management and business resource organizations exclusively dedicated to VP and C-level executives. The AASE has assisted more than 1,500 corporate executives manage their careers.
Brad has personally coached many of these executives on success-based interviewing, 21st Century networking techniques, and career transition.
He is a frequent speaker on the subject of career management and executive networking.
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