Resume: You’ve Got 30 Seconds

An insightful look at employers and their resume reading process comes from RandsInRepose. You’ve got 30 seconds, as an applicant, to impress. This may not be the case with many employers, but I’m sure it’s almost spot on for most.

Your Name. It’s simple. Do I know you? Whether I do or not, I’m going to immediately Google you to see if I should. Oh, you a have a weblog. Excellent.

Skills. I skip the skills section not only because this is information I’ll derive from job history, but also because this section is full of misinformation. I’m not going to say that people lie in the skills section, but I know that if a candidate has heard the word Linux in the workplace, there’s a good chance they’re going to put Familiarity with Linux as a skill on their resume.

Although Rands is specifically talking about the Tech industry, I think a lot of what’s mentioned goes for any job. If you can clear up the resume to hit hard the first go over, and, if needed, strengthen your position the second read, then you’ve probably got a phone interview lined up already.
A Glimpse and a Hook - [RandsInRepose]