How to Get Your Resume Looked At by Employers

The following is an article written by Jason Ferrara who is the vice president of corportate marketing at CareerBuilder.com.  I found this article extremely interesting for those seeking employment to understand what employers are seeking when reviewing applicant resumes.

Are Employers Looking at Your Resume?

5 ways to make it stand out

Jason Ferrara, vice president of corporate marketing for CareerBuilder.com

With a record 12.5 million people unemployed in today's labor market, it's apparent that now, more than ever before, the people looking for employment must work even harder to ensure that they stand out to employers through their applications.
Nearly 25 percent of human resource managers said on average, they receive more than 75 résumés for each open position and 42 percent receive more than 50 résumés per position, according to a nationwide survey released in March 2009 by CareerBuilder.com. The majority of these managers say that at least half of those résumés are from unqualified candidates.
With that type of pressure and competition, the question becomes, how will you stand out among the masses? The answer is simple: through your résumé.
If crafted effectively, your résumé is perhaps the most valuable marketing tool you've got. After all, in a matter of seconds, its contents can make or break your chances of landing an interview. Thirty-eight percent of human resource managers say they spend one to two minutes reviewing a new application, while 17 percent spend less than one minute, according to the survey.
5 tips to make your résumé stand outNow that you know you have approximately 60 seconds to impress an employer, you had better make sure that your résumé is the best possible representation of you and your achievements.
Here are five tips to help you produce an effective résumé:



1. Include a career summary at the top of your résuméYou only have a matter of seconds -- a minute if you're lucky -- to impress a human resource or hiring manager with your résumé. Don't make him search for the important material. Including a career summary at the top will give managers an immediate snapshot of your skills and accomplishments.
2. Keep it up-to-dateNo matter the state of the economy, you should always have a recent résumé and portfolio on hand. Fifty percent of the 8,038 employees surveyed by CareerBuilder.com said their résumés aren't up to date. Any time your responsibilities increase or you accomplish something significant, update your résumé with that information. You never know when you'll need to produce a current résumé.
3. Incorporate keywordsTracking systems are becoming increasingly popular to screen and weed out unqualified candidates. In fact, 51 percent of human resource managers report using them in the hiring process. To avoid the discard pile, integrate keywords from the job posting into your résumé. Doing so will heighten your chances of showing up near the top of the employer's ranking of the most relevant candidates.
4. Use a functional résuméAlmost every major industry is experiencing mass layoffs. That being said, many job seekers are looking for work in new industries and professions where they might not have much experience. Listing your experience by skill categories rather than chronologically shows employers the proficiencies you possess rather than those you lack.
5. Include all relevant experienceWhether you're expanding your job search to a new industry or you're a new college graduate, you might not have the necessary experience to land that job you want. Make sure you're including all pertinent experience on your résumé. Volunteer work, leadership roles or community involvement are all areas most employers consider to be relevant experience.
Now what?Now that you've incorporated these five tips into your résumé, the worst thing you can do is send a generic copy out to the masses while you sit on your couch and pray for a response.
Be proactive with your résumé and take advantage of the tools available to you. On job boards like CareerBuilder.com, for example, you can use resources like cbResume, cbResumeDirect and Resume Upgrade, all of which can increase your visibility to employers. Additionally, you should utilize social networking sites to host your application materials, as well as target your résumé to the company where you're applying.
Taking advantage of all the resources at your disposal will help ensure that your résumé stands out among the masses.
Jason Ferrara is the vice president of corporate marketing for CareerBuilder.com.