Your resume is your initial impression. It makes or breaks whether you get an interview or are ignored. But what are employers actually searching for when they browse through dozens of resumes?
Recruiters spend only 6-7 seconds on average scanning a resume before making the decision to either include or exclude a candidate. That’s not a lot of time to impress. The bright side? By organizing your resume in a careful way and providing the appropriate information, you can improve your odds of being seen.
Here, in this article, we’re going to deconstruct what employers actually want you to include on your resume, and exclude, so that you won’t be rejected.
1. Personalize Your Resume for Every Position
Those days of the same-old same-old resume are long over. Job seekers would be appreciated by employers if they make their resumes application-specific based on the job post.
Why? Because nearly all companies have applicant tracking systems, and applicant tracking systems automatically discard resumes lacking the proper keywords. If your resume is not keyword-matched to the posting, it will never reach a human recruiter.
What to do:
Read the job description carefully and identify key skills and qualifications.
Organically insert those keywords on your resume.
Customize your summary, experience, and skills to the position.
Example: If your employment advertisement puts a heavy focus on “project management” and “data analysis,” ensure that language makes it onto your resume—particularly if you possess those abilities.
2. Emphasize Impact, Not Job Responsibilities
Employers are not only concerned with what you did. They care about how effectively you did it.
The majority of candidates err in indicating their duties rather than emphasizing accomplishments. Your employers can guess you want to say how you contributed to your previous organizations.
What to do:
Employ action verbs (led, developed, increased, optimized).
Emphasize the result of your work.
Demonstrate how your effort affected the organization.
Example:
Weak: “Managed social media accounts.”
Strong: “Developed and implemented a social media plan that grew engagement by 45% within six months.”
By showing your results, you help employers get why you’re an ideal fit.
3. Leverage Numbers & Metrics to Highlight Your Success
Hiring managers appreciate measurable success. When you are able to put numbers on your success, you will be one of a kind right away.
Measurable success examples:
- Achieved a 30% increase in sales within one year.
- Cut customer complaints by 25% with better response times.
- Managed 10 people and increased productivity by 20%.
- Reduce expenses by 15% by streamlining processes.
Even if your job didn’t have a direct connection to sales or revenue, there’s some kind of impact that can be measured. Consider efficiency, customer satisfaction, success rates on projects, or process enhancements.
4. Keep It Clean, Concise & Professional
Your resume should be readable. If recruiters have to struggle through big blocks of text, they’ll go look at the next candidate.
Resume format tips and best practices:
- One or two pages at most – Keep it short.
- Clear headings & bullet points – Easy to scan.
- Only professional fonts such as Arial or Calibri (font size 10-12).
- Don’t over-accessorize the design elements – Clean, plain layouts are best.
Pro Tip: Unless you work in a creative industry such as graphic design, don’t use fancy colors or graphics. Be professional and neat.
What NOT to Put on Your Resume
Though what you do put on your resume matters, so too does what you do not. These are the kinds of things that can blow up your chance:
- Buzzwords – Do not write “hardworking” or “team player” on your resume. Give examples showing them instead.
- Wordy paragraphs – Hiring managers don’t read through resumes. Use bullet points and concise, direct sentences.
- Irrelevant work experience – If it doesn’t add value to the role you’re applying for, leave it out.
- Unnecessary personal details – There’s no need to include your full address, date of birth, or a photo (unless the job requires it).
Your resume isn’t merely an encapsulation of your work experience—your own career search tool. It must provide a powerful narrative of how you’re the top candidate for the position.
Through emphasis on personalization, emphasis, and minimalism, you’ll build a resume that excels and drives results.