Resume Pet Peeves, Must Haves, and Standout …...INFOGRAPHIC RESUMES Positives: » Captures attention: 61% » Good networking tool: 30% Concerns: » Not enough info on experience

HIRING MANAGERS SPEAK OUT: Resume Pet Peeves, Must Haves, and Standout Elements

Presented by Kristin Vandegriend

Join the conversation: @careerstoryca | #contact2018 Career Story

About the client, but for the hiring manager

Our ResearchTalking to decision makers


WHO WE TALKED TO

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

1 2 3 4 5


INDUSTRIES REPRESENTED

Other: Non-profit managementHealth and fitnessConstructionFinancial servicesSocial servicesHospitalitySalesBusiness supplies


Visual Appeal and MechanicsBuilding a resume that will get read


PAGE LENGTH

» 63% of respondents: 2 pages max

» 30% say It depends on the type and level of the job

» Only 2% want to see a 1 page resume

» 0% want to see a 3 page resume


FONT RECOMMENDATIONS

» 60% of respondents don’t care.

» Preference: Calibri (26%) and Arial (20%)

» Most hated: Comic Sans

» Must be easy to read


RESUME FORMATS

Reverse Chronological

✓ Preferred format for employer: easy career chronology to follow

Combination

✓ Highlight less recent experience

✓ Showcase experience/ skills

Cautions

Limit the skills section.

Don’t repeat information

Show where the experience comes from


FUNCTIONAL RESUMES

Pros: » I don’t have any concerns: 20%

» I find this format useful: 16%

Concerns: » It’s hard to determine her skill level: 23%

» I want to know specifically what she did in each job: 62%

• Can’t see the career progression• Not suitable in some industries


COMMON QUESTIONS

Question Answer

What date format is

preferred?

Month and Year (77% want this!)

How far back should I

list experience?

50% say up to 10 years

20% say 10 -15 years

How many bullet

points per section?

43% say 5 bullet points per section

41% don’t care


PREFERRED FILE FORMAT

» 76%: PDF» 11%: Word» 13%: Doesn’t Matter

Follow the instructions!


PET PEEVES AND RED FLAGS


PET PEEVES

Spelling and Grammatical Errors

“Communication is a key component to most jobs. Your application/resume is your first example of your communication skills.”

“This is your first assignment for the organization. I want to know that you took it seriously.”


PET PEEVES

Not targeted to the job

“Imagine someone is only going to glance at your resume for at most 5-10 seconds. Make sure the most important parts jump out to the reader”

“Show me that you understand my business: Take the time to research my organization. Tailor each point to qualities that I'm looking for. Show me how you can fill a gap in my time and make my life easier”

How do you fit?


THE RISE OF THE INDEED RESUME

TARGETED RESUMES

StrategicBrandedLogical

Storyline


PET PEEVES

Disorganized or Messy Content

PET PEEVES

Not enough information

No employment dates

Small font

“Show accomplishments (not just task lists), be clear about what the client was responsible for (outcomes); Use chronological order and explain gaps!”


Make the employer’s job easier!

PET PEEVES

Generic profile sections


RED FLAGS

1. Experience unrelated to the position

▪ You can’t turn a donkey into a unicorn

▪ 70% match for application

2. Short-term employment stints

▪ What’s the story?


SHORT-TERM WORK

ADDRESSING LARGE GAPS

3. No recent employment or gaps in employment

▪ Use years only ▪ What else did you do? (e.g.

training, community involvement, etc)

▪ Use the cover letter ▪ Explore multiple reasons▪ The further back, the less it

matters

“If you took significant time off to raise kids, I’ll still consider you. I just need to understand why you have a gap in your resume.” – HR Professional


ADDRESSING LARGE GAPS

RED FLAGS

4. International or out-of-town applicants

» Include a local address

» Write a line about future

intentions

» Address in more detail in the cover letter


THE WOW FACTOR


STANDOUT ELEMENTS

Evidence of past work experience 84%

Use of colour or shading 30%

Logo or monogram 12%

Graphs or charts 12%

Endorsements 27%

Use of bold font 55%

Simple, clean, well formatted, easy to read (5x)

Not overly creative/ designed (2x)


THE MODERN RESUME

Show personality!

People hire people

they like.

“Let me see your personality shine

through - don't just provide technical

details.”

Including keywords is

key!

“Include keywords from the job

posting when relevant to

experience.”

Design does matter. “Add a splash of color and leave

blank space”


HOW IMPORTANT IS…?

Not

important

Somewhat

important

Important Very

Important

Only if

relevant

Complete home address 37.5% 21% 23% 11% 7%

Career objective 29% 34% 14% 11% 12.5%

Profile section 16% 35% 20% 20% 9%

Direct work experience 0% 0% 2% 98% 0%

Non-Canadian experience for

new immigrants

4% 2% 38% 46% 11%

Volunteer experience 5% 20% 36% 25% 14%

Education 2% 2% 13% 77% 7%

Explaining gaps 12% 25% 27% 34% 2%

Awards and acknowledgements 50% 20% 16% 2% 12%

Interests and hobbies 2% 32% 32% 25% 9%


PROFILE SECTION

» 30 sec introduction

» Use a job title branding

» Add a tagline value-add

Profile

Highlights of Qualifications

Objective

Don’t use section titles!

RESUMES WITH PERSONALITY

✓ Try using first-person

✓ Insert quotes from others

✓ Personal quotes

READABILITY HACKS

Kerning: letter spacing Line Spacing Recommend 4pt between bullets and summaries

Breathing Space


EDITING TIPS

Text-to-Voice

• Siri

• NaturalReader

Grammar

• Grammarly


Emerging TrendsWhat do decision makers really think?


INFOGRAPHIC RESUMES

Positives: » Captures attention: 61%

» Good networking tool: 30%

Concerns: » Not enough info on experience and skills: 20%

» Won’t get through the ATS: 12%

» Possible discrimination: 42%

• Worked for marketing, design positions• Feels overwhelming. Don’t like graphs• Too much personal detail• Difficult to scan

VIDEO RESUMES

Q: Can a video resume be used instead of a standard resume?

A: No.

Q: Can a video resume be used to enhance a standard resume?

A: Yes, 41% would look a video resume but also want to see a standard resume.

Who has time to watch a video?


PORTFOLIO SITES

Would you look at a portfolio site if a client included a link in their resume?

Yes: 50%

It Depends: 39%

No: 7%Is this a new thing now?

– Hiring Manager The resume has to be good FIRST!


Beyond the ResumeWhat else decision makers want you to know


FINDING CANDIDATES

Multiple

Sources

=

Varied

Strategy


“


SOCIAL MEDIA

73% of respondents will Always or Often check candidates out on social media


WHAT ABOUT COVER LETTERS?

Should an application include a cover letter?

» Yes: 64% (the resume has to be good FIRST!) » Only When Requested: 16%» Not Necessary: 9%

The more technical the role, the less likely the cover letter is critical. The more that philosophical alignment or nuanced understanding of the organization is important, the more important the cover letter.


Any questions?Kristin Vandegriend

» [email protected]» Linkedin: /kristinvandegriend

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Resume Pet Peeves, Must Haves, and Standout …...INFOGRAPHIC RESUMES Positives: » Captures attention: 61% » Good networking tool: 30% Concerns: » Not enough info on experience