Your resume is simply a tool to open doors. It is your advertisement to attract recruiters, companies, and hiring leaders. Moving away from a smorgasbord of offerings to a lean menu can be challenging for today’s savvy careerist.  Leaning up does not mean forsaking your stellar accomplishments or bandwidth of talents, it simply means using a filter to strain away the non-essential verbiage and lengthy explanations of who you are and what you promise to deliver.

5 Filters for Leaning Up Your Resume…

#1 Recruiters & Headhunters

#2 Human Resources 

#3 Hiring Leaders

#4 Executives and CEOs

#5 Database Scanning Systems

#1 Recruiters & Headhunters. Make it easy for recruiters and headhunters spend 5-10 seconds scanning your resume. Recruiters are stretched thin and tasked more than ever with automated systems and an abundance of requisitions to process.  Phone screens are faster than 3 years ago and decisions are made quickly. Many recruiters and headhunters are even using emails to screen out candidates by asking basic questions through email Q & A.

Over-the-top lengthy paragraphs and summaries are considered “noise.”  Think about it, we live in an “app” society.   Images and bullets are replacing lengthy conversations for recruiters. Linkedin.com, About.me, and even Facebook.com, are the “go to” for recruiters to conduct research on you. If your resume is not lining up with the “point and click” mindset of today’s recruiters and headhunters seeking top talent.

Shopping top executive talent has to be simple and engaging for recruiters & headhunters 

#2 Human Resources. The HR representative may or may not also be serving in the recruiter role. If they are independent of the recruiter, the HR rep will most likely be screening for behavioral competencies.  Clearly indicate on your resume both skill competencies and behavioral competencies. The latter are those telling “how” you achieve results.  Are you process focused or do you achieve your results through people? Do you work well in systems or are you better in navigating ambiguity? The most successful job seekers are those who have a clear understanding of the differences between skill and behavioral leadership competencies.

The HR rep. may also be screening for culture fit in the organization. Personal branding identification and analysis are critical in helping convey your story on your resume for serious consideration of culture fit.

#3 Hiring Leaders. Most hiring leaders are going to look for skill sets, accomplishments, and team fit. It really is that simple. Filter your resume so you are conveying this simple message to the hiring leaders.

#4 Senior Executives & CEOs.  Filtering your resume for data, statistical information, and results are the attraction for many executives and CEOs.  High-level information coupled with bottom line results are the filter that can make or break a positive first impression on paper. Use of graphs offering a quick visual snapshot are exceptional methods of getting the attention your resume deserves.

#5 Database Scanning Systems.  Populating your resume with key-rich text and pertinent content is most critical to the computer and database scanning systems. If your resume is not targeted specifically to the database scanning system, you may miss out on your resume being flagged for the recruiter or headhunter.

Resume writing is more than listing your work history. Filtering by audience is the most effective way to tell your story to make more of an impact with less clutter.

*Tina Kashlak Nicolai is current in recruiting best practices as a result of ongoing contract recruiting assignments in addition to operating and writing for Resume Writers’ Ink®. You can trust RWI to bring you the most recent practices into our projects.