Writing a resume can be a labor of love, but all too often in today’s uncertain economic climate, that love can go unrequited when it comes to job applications. If he had a dollar for every time a customer says he hasn’t received a response to a job application, he’d be considerably richer.

Just like a first date, making a good first impression is critical when it comes to writing a resume. Employers and recruiters tend to work to a strict “love (or at least attraction) first place” policy, and if your resume doesn’t measure up, you can expect immediate rejection.

Writing a good resume is a challenge. In a few short pages, the author must distill a lifetime of work experience, achievements, and aspirations, while at the same time convincing a third party of his worth as a potential employee.

It is not unusual for applicants to spend a considerable amount of time writing and rewriting their resume. And given the potential payoff a good resume can bring—that is, getting the job you want—the agonizing effort of finding the right words, phrases, and content is time well spent.

Given the amount of time and effort an author can spend writing a resume, many job seekers still have the idea that employers or recruiters will reciprocate by spending a fair amount of time poring over the details of their resume.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when it comes to the first screening. With hundreds and potentially thousands of resumes to review, recruiters will generally give a resume little attention in the first step as they try to whittle the numbers down to a manageable level. It would seem that when it comes to early resume selection, it’s more of a case of ‘wham bam’ than a considerate ‘get to know yourself’.

In all likelihood, a recruiter will look at a resume and decide within the first minute, often within thirty seconds, whether to accept or reject a resume. Due to the high volume of applications, employers and recruiters simply do not have time to carefully Please review all resumes for the first time. They are actively looking to narrow down the pool of potential candidates and will ruthlessly remove resumes that don’t meet their expectations.

While a good resume should hit the mark on many levels, it is crucial No to give recruiters obvious reasons to toss your resume into the early rejection pile. Below I’ve listed some important items to address to ensure you avoid obvious or glaring deficiencies that make it difficult for recruiters to exclude your resume from initial screening.

While this is certainly not an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts, the items discussed below capture the key factors responsible for early resume rejection;

Brevity – A concise resume is a good resume, and the reviewer will earn early points, while a resume that is too long will have the opposite effect. If a reviewer has to actively search for key information, they will already have received their first black note.

If you can comfortably capture information on a single page, do so. Even if you are very experienced, try to keep the number of pages to a minimum. Recruiters are sensitive to time and will penalize unnecessarily long resumes accordingly.

First page format– When it comes to writing a resume, the first page is ground zero. Before a reviewer begins to read the details of your resume, they will make both conscious and unconscious assessments of the document’s layout. If the competition is stiff and you’re competing with many well-presented and well-written resumes, a faulty first page can often equate to rejection.

The first page of a resume should always present well. This can be tricky because you need to capture as much notable information as possible while keeping the layout clean and easy to read. You can achieve this by adhering to the brevity rule above and also being ruthless with what to include/exclude. Too many first pages of the resume contain information that is superfluous or that could be included later in the document.

In terms of design, there should be a consistent use of headings, paragraphs, bullets, and white space to clearly delineate between sections of the document and highlight key points. Along with using the appropriate font and size, the document should not only be easy to read, but also easy for a reviewer to identify key information.

First page content – The content of the first page of a resume will vary according to the experience of the candidate and the position in question. The first rule of thumb for first page content is to make sure you capture any critical information that could get you hired. There is no benefit in burying important information in the last part of a resume, since it may never be looked at.

While adhering to this rule is simple enough for a one-page resume, it requires more thought for senior and highly experienced roles. With years or even decades of experience behind a candidate, some serious thought must be given to including versus excluding information.

Some things to consider with first page content include;

Contact details – The name and contact details must be easily identifiable at the top of each page. Contact information should include, at a minimum, address, email, and phone details.

Job title – Include current role or position at the top of a resume, under contact details. It will add value to an application, particularly if you are applying for a similar or related position, indicating that the applicant already has practical experience.

Profile Summary – It is useful to include a well-written Mission Statement or Profile Summary near the top of the page. A mission statement should be a concise statement that describes what type of job a person is looking for and is preferable for less experienced candidates. Alternatively, use a profile summary for people with experience and clearly describe what the candidate has to offer. A profile summary would typically include a high level statement of key experience plus some important strengths and accomplishments.

expertise – It is useful to follow the summary of the objective or profile with a section describing the main ‘Areas of expertise’ (also known as core competencies, key capabilities, etc.). These are often represented in the form of bullets and should be clearly aligned with the stated requirements or selection criteria for the role.

Work experience – Work history will usually start on the first page of a resume and for most people will make up the bulk of the content of the resume. Work experience should list most recent roles first and include organization, position, and dates of employment.

Responsibilities and achievements should also be included. This should not be an exhaustive list, but should include the most important ones and those that align with the job description. Be sure to include achievement results and metrics if possible, as they will give weight to your claims.

More emphasis should be placed on recent roles or older roles that are aligned with the position being applied for. Older, less relevant roles simply need organization, position, and dates of employment.

Ratings – The inclusion of academic achievements on the first page will depend on individual circumstances. Academic information will usually be included in advance if work experience is limited (less than 2-3 years). If the relevant work experience is greater than 3 years, then the education should appear towards the end of the resume.

However, like all rules, there are exceptions. You may want to include education up front if you think it will positively set you apart from the competition or if you are applying for an academic position that places a heavy emphasis on academic qualifications.

Photographs – The general rule is to avoid placing your photograph on your resume unless stipulated by the recruiter. The weight of opinion suggests that adding a photograph is a gamble, as it can work for or against the applicant based on a variety of factors related to both the recruiter and the applicant (including gender, age, attractiveness, photo quality, etc.). Because submitting a photo is ultimately a gamble that won’t necessarily pay off, it’s best to let your resume speak for itself.

A resume should not be a static document. It must be reviewed and redrafted each time an applicant applies for a different position. Different roles have different selection criteria, and a resume must be constantly modified to meet the requirements of each new role. Recruiters are quick to identify and penalize instances of static cover letters or resumes.

The biggest reason for immediate rejection of a resume is still spelling and punctuation errors. Given the advantage of automatic spell checking apps, one would expect fewer errors of this nature, however these spelling and grammar apps have an unfortunate (albeit sometimes funny) side effect if not used correctly. Some well-known examples include the banker who had “great experience in all faucets Finance’, or the Project Manager with ‘extensive fillet managerial skills of the incumbent”.

My advice is to just check and double check your work. Better yet, hire a third party to review your resume. You’d be surprised how often someone else spots a problem on your resume that they missed.

For many people, I would suggest getting some help with your resume evaluation. This can be as simple as asking someone you know and trust to review your document, or perhaps enlisting the services of a professional resume writer. A resume writer can add significant value for many reasons, including a poor understanding of the language, an on-and-off job history, returning to the workforce after a long break, or simply seeking an edge over the competition.

In my experience, year Independent Prayed experienced eye Throwing over a resume will often identify mistakes, irrelevance, or miscommunication that the author may miss. People often get “too close” to their resume to fully appreciate all the nuances of the document, and as a result are unable to “see the forest for the trees.”

Like a first date gone terribly wrong, if a resume isn’t right the first time around, don’t expect to be called back for a second chance. As described above, there is little sentimentality when it comes to the harsh realities of resume screening.

However, by following these helpful tips or getting help from an independent third party, you will greatly improve your resume’s chances of surviving the first round of recruiting. And by avoiding the early rejection pile, the opportunity to further any potential relationship with a prospective employer won’t end before it begins.