Have you ever sent out a bunch of applications and hear nothing but crickets? It’s frustrating, right?
You’re qualified, you’ve got the experience, but somehow your resume keeps getting lost in the pile. So, what’s going on?
Let’s get into some common reasons your resume might not be getting the attention it deserves, and more importantly, how you can fix it.
Is your resume easy to read?
If your resume is hard to read, cluttered, not enough information or lacks structure, it’s likely to be overlooked.
How To Fix It: Keep your resume clean and well-organized. Use clear headings, bullet points and plenty of white space. Stick to a simple, professional font and avoid overwhelming recruiters and hiring managers with too much information.
Resumes with more than two pages can sometimes lose the attention of the hiring manager. It’s great to work with a recruiter to make tweaks to your resume and get your expertise and the important keywords standing out.
Are you highlighting your achievements?
Listing your job duties is one thing, but what really catches a recruiter’s and hiring manager’s eye are your achievements. Did you increase revenue? Streamline a process? Lead a successful project? What size of projects and teams have you lead? These are the small details that make you stand out.
How To Fix It: Find a good balance between your accomplishments and responsibilities to display under each of your jobs. Use quantifiable data when possible – numbers, percentages and specific project results add credibility to your claims.
Does your resume include keywords?
I briefly mentioned keywords a second ago but let’s dive a little deeper into keywords. Recruiters use job-related keywords to search for the people that have the skills they’re looking for. This goes for your resume and LinkedIn profiles. If your resume doesn’t include the right keywords, it could get overlooked.
How To Fix It: Read the job descriptions of some titles that resonate with your experience and background. Find the keywords (OSP, Outside Plant, Fiber, Broadband, 5G, etc.) you commonly see in the description and blend those into your resume. You can add them to the skills section and/or throughout the bullet points under each job. Be sure to incorporate keywords naturally into your resume so that it flows well and reads smoothly.
Are you tailoring your resume to the job(s) you want?
It’s okay to have more than one resume, and if you have experience in multiple industries or in multiple roles, it’s encouraged to have more than one resume. If your resume reads too generic, it can get overlooked because the recruiters and hiring managers want to see the details of the kinds of projects you worked on, what all you did, software/programs you used, soft skills, etc.
How To Fix It: Take the time to tailor your resume to a very specific skill set or make minor tweaks for each job you apply for. These could even just be adjusting the keywords in your skills section. You can take it one step further and use keywords from the job posting.
Is your contact information clear and up-to-date?
It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how often resumes include outdated or incorrect contact information. If a recruiter can’t reach you, you might miss out on a great opportunity!
How To Fix It: Double-check that your phone number, email address and LinkedIn URL are current and easy to find on your resume. Make sure your email address is professional – your old high school email might not make the best impression!
Ready to Get Noticed?
Your resume is your first impression so make sure it’s a good one! By tailoring your resume, keeping it clean, concise, incorporating keywords and highlighting your achievements, you can increase your chances of catching a recruiter’s eye!
Still not sure if your resume is up to par? The TekCom recruiting team is here to help!
Send your resume to recruiters@tekcomresources.com and we can help you tweak your resume for one of our job opportunities.
You can view all of our job opportunities HERE.
