The Ugly Truth About Your Resume

About this Video

• Video Title: The Ugly Truth About Your Resume
• Channel: A Life After Layoff
• Speakers: Brian
• Duration: 00:13:57

Introduction

This video reveals the hidden realities of resume screening from a corporate recruiter's perspective. Brian, who has experience as a recruiter, career coach, and hiring manager, explains how recruiters evaluate resumes and how to improve your chances of getting noticed. The video emphasizes the importance of tailoring resumes to specific job descriptions and the detrimental effect of overly long or poorly formatted resumes.

Key Takeaways

• Job Application Methods: Recruiters primarily find candidates through inbound applications (applying directly to job postings), outbound recruiting (recruiters contacting candidates directly), and employee referrals. Inbound applications are the least effective method.
• Resume Length: Keep resumes concise. Two pages are acceptable for a 15-20 year career; longer resumes are often ignored due to time constraints.
• Resume Quality: Poorly written resumes (with grammatical errors, excessive length, or unprofessional formatting) are rarely read. Simple, clean formatting is key.
• Job Titles: Job titles are crucial. Use common, easily recognizable titles to increase discoverability; avoid overly specific or obscure titles. Adjusting titles to better match common industry terms is acceptable, but do not misrepresent your experience.
• Customization is Key: Tailoring your resume to each specific job description significantly increases your chances of getting noticed.