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6 Resume Tweaks to Get Hired Faster

By: Andrew G. Rosen

November 1, 2011

Does it feel like you've been looking for a job forever? The problem might not be with you or your credentials it could be how they are presented on your resume. Resume advice from ten years ago is outdated and, especially if you are new to the job-seeking market, your resume might not be as effective as it once was. Fortunately, by making some quick tweaks, you can make your resume start working for you again, leading to a better chance of being noticed by a hiring manager.

1. Change Your Method of Delivery

If you are just firing off a resume in an email to every job ad you see, chances are your resume is winding up in the trashcan. You have to make your resume stand out. That might mean faxing, mailing or even hand delivering your resume...

By: Erin Kennedy

October 31, 2011

There’s a fine line between over using keywords in your resume and having just the right touch. It’s trickier than you think to create a effective and dynamic resume, so what do you have to do in order to get the right about of keywords that balance out the resume?

A lot goes into finding the right way to encode your resume. You need to be able to entice HR managers into reading your resume without rehashing the same old thing. Over the past few years, more and more software programs have been designed in order to minimize the time it takes hiring managers to read through the mountain of resumes they receive. Employers’ are dependent on keywords to find candidates that they want to interview. The key is having the right amount of keywords on your resume. Most companies, including Fortune 1000 companies and smaller companies, know how to use these technologies to assist in finding new hires, so you have to know how to take advantage of the same processes that they do. According to the National Resume Writers’ Association, more than 80 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords...

By: Jessica Holbrook Hernandez

October 27, 2011

Searching for a job can sometimes seem like an impossible task when no positions are being offered. Understandably, this could confuse and discourage an avid seeker who does not anticipate complications. After all, how can the process be challenging when it only involves looking for positions, writing a resume and cover letter, and submitting an application?

Well, in actuality, searching for a job is a bit more complicated than that. Sure, seeking and submitting are two steps you take along the way, but there are other steps to take that actually enrich the search. If you keep the following steps in mind, your job seeking process could actually become a lot less complicated...

By: Alexandra Levit

October 26, 2011

While writing my new book, I met a guy named Sebastian who told me that he had worked as an activity director at a Florida-based family resort for the last few years and that his boss had recently told him that the staff and the members didn’t like him.

Sebastian did not understand this feedback. He had just circulated a membership evaluation form that rated him an above-average 4 out of 5. Additionally, he had had no verbal exchanges with any staff members to indicate that they were unhappy with him, and certainly no one had filed a complaint. Sebastian confided that he was insecure because he didn’t know where this attack from his boss was coming from, and he was worried he might be fired...

By: Don Goodman

October 25, 2011

We often hear that employment gaps in a resume can hurt a candidate, but did you know long term employment at the same employer can also be perceived negatively?

Having stable employment is certainly not a bad thing. However, if it is with the same employer and your resume doesn’t show you made progress, it is not an impressive mark for a potential employer viewing your resume.

When a candidate has stayed with the same employer for many years, it can be considered in two ways: 1) You are lucky to have found a good employer and enjoy what you do, or, 2) You are afraid to take on new challenges and do not like stepping out of your comfort zone...

By: Barbara Safani

October 24, 2011

The time in between an interview and decisions for the next round of interviews can feel like an eternity when you are anxious to move your job search forward. But what can you do in conjunction with the interview process to follow up strategically and intelligently? Here are a few suggestions.

1. During the interview, ask when the hiring manager plans to conduct the next round of interviews or make the job offer.

If you ask this question during the interview, you are more likely to have some sort of benchmark to go by for follow-up, and the waiting game becomes more manageable. If you are told that the company plans to get back to all applicants in one week, then it would certainly be acceptable to call on day eight if you haven’t heard from the company, and remind them that they mentioned giving candidates a status update in one week and you are just checking in...