Accommodating Resume Readers

It seems like only yesterday that job seekers could mail in their polished and achievement- riddled resumes to prospective businesses in hopes that they be read.  These days, however, the job market has added several types of readers – human and electronic alike – that help streamline the hiring process for companies.  Unfortunately, these new audiences make the resume writing process a little bit perplexing.

Job seekers need to be aware of the potential readers of their resume – be it the decision maker, the screener, the recruiter, or even computer software products.  There has been debate amongst resume professionals as to determining which reader a job seeker should tailor their resume for.   The easiest and most effective method, however, would be to write ONE resume that will appeal to all four types of readers.  To accomplish this, a job seeker must cater to the readers’ nuances and understand specific resume characteristics that will appeal to each reader.  Here is some information about the four different types of resume readers and what each type likes to see.

The Decision Maker

Out of all four of the readers, the decision maker is the most open to interpretation.  Since this person will be the one to determine who actually gets the job, the decision maker will have an exact idea of the person that they want.  Though a decision maker might have a specific set of skills and qualifications for a prospective hire, he or she is probably paying closer attention to certain achievements that makes a jobseeker stand out above the rest.  For example:  Sally is applying for a journalist position at a local newspaper.  She has no prior experience in the field, but her resume highlights that she wrote a museum’s docent newsletter for ten years.  Though the decision maker understands that Sally has never worked for a newspaper, she has considerable experience writing for public audiences.  Therefore, the decision maker would probably see Sally as a qualified candidate for the position.

Pretend for a moment that these decision makers are painters: each create their own impression of a job seeker using the most vivid information contained in a resume. Decision makers who read resumes that include SPECIFIC achievements will likely be left with a positive impression of the job applicant. 

Recruiters

Recruiters provide an intermediary service for hiring companies by searching for potential hires who specifically meet an employer’s job descriptions and qualifications.  Since the recruiter often make commissions off the number of quality candidates they find for a company, they are more than willing to work with job seekers they feel actually meet the needs set forth by a company. 

This means that a recruiter will act as a guide of sorts.  They will help job seekers obtain the jobs that they are most qualified for. Another added bonus is that a recruiter usually has the inside tract of how companies are actually conducting the hiring process; they also know exactly what a specific company is looking for in a new hire.  Therefore, it is important that all job seekers working with a recruiter closely follow any and all advice towards the  crafting–or re-crafting–their resume.

Once a recruiter feels that a job seeker’s resume is flawless and perfectly tailored, then it will be sent to a prospective company.

Screeners

Unlike a recruiter–who has inside information about a company–a screener simply relies on the information from specific job descriptions. With a checklist in hand, a screener reads through each resume and only looks to see if it contains the proper criteria.  Only then will the screener deem it appropriate to send it out to be read by the company.  There is very little to interpret with, and a screener’s read will probably be one of the coldest reads your resume will ever get. 

But, how can a job seeker know exactly what a screener is looking for?  The answer lies in the job description.  Usually, the job posting will be very specific in laying out what a company is looking for in the way of experiences and qualifications.  Therefore, the resume should be written in direct correlation to the job posting.  Think of it like writing a proposal.  Let’s say you were decorating a wedding cake for a client.  The client has specific desires as how it should look and how it should taste.  The cake designer must tell the client what their design is and how it meets the client’s expectations.

A screened resume should do the same thing.  Taking the requirements of the job description and specifically addressing them in the resume will immediately alert screeners that a job seekers’ personality and qualifications match the job description.   

Computer Software

It can be a little disconcerting that a person can be deemed qualified–or not qualified–for a job through a computer program.  But, believe it or not, it is a growing trend that makes it incredibly easy for hiring companies to choose the best prospective employees based on several critical keywords.  This process begins by receiving a resume and having it scanned or uploaded onto a computer.  When a job becomes available, a person simply types in special keywords that fit the description of the job and the computer will generate a list of resumes that contain those keywords in them.  The owner’s of those resumes will then have the opportunity to come in for an interview. 

Thus, resumes that are keyword intensive will most likely be picked up by the computer.  The difficult part is deciding which keywords to actually use.  One could say that their selection should be wholly dependent upon the criteria set out by the job description, but here are a couple pointers to help you out.  First of all, the computer is most likely looking for nouns.  Traditionally, resume writers tell job seekers to focus on verbs, which is still true, but most computer software programs are looking for people that define the actual job position through nouns.  Therefore, nouns–such as management, consultation, sales, and production–are great noun-focused keywords to use.  It is also important to use these noun-focused keywords throughout the resume, as the computer software also weighs the importance of where it is placed in a list of potential employee resumes. 

Using the information above, a job seeker should be able to incorporate each style into one resume.  In doing this, a person will have a greater chance of snagging that new job.