Once upon a time, you could hand deliver a resume and even get interviewed on the spot. Those days are long gone. Personal interactions with hiring managers have been replaced with emailing your resume and applying through online job boards. So, what can you do to stand out when you are applying online? Here are a few tips:
Attach your resume as a Word document, if possible. Often companies will invest in software that can harvest Word documents and input your information into their database more easily making your information more likely to come up in a search.
Let us know you are relocating! It can be something as simple as including in italics “Relocating to Florida Summer 2011” under your current address or just adding a blurb to your objective. Recruiters and hiring managers are not mind readers. You may miss out on an opportunity simply because someone thought you had applied for the wrong position otherwise.
Tell us you are bilingual. Being bilingual is a HUGE asset in a lot of markets! Your resume needs to tell what languages and your level of fluency. Many of the job boards will also have a field for you to enter this information in as well; take the time to ensure that this is completed properly because often this gets read before a hiring manager ever even takes a peak at your resume.
Be sure to include all of your contact information on your resume. This includes: phone number (make sure they are working numbers), and email address. I understand that we may not always call at the best time and may need to schedule a time to speak later, but if you sincerely want to work we need to be able to reach you.
• Sticking with contact information; make sure your email address is appropriate. Personally, I love the cheesy work related emails like “2thfairy@...” or “floss4u@...” because to me that shows some personality. If that is not your style, so be it; play it safe and create an account using your name. I do not care how sexy, beautiful, big, small, or anything else you are. We see your email address before we see anything else about you and it needs to relay a level of professionalism.
There are many factors that actually go into getting a job and these tips just barely scratch the surface of the topic. However, these tips may help you to tweak your own information and get your information noticed which is an important first step to getting to that new job. Good luck in your search.
