Your resume is “scanned” by hiring managers and recruiters.  They are looking for those words that “pop” out at them and draw the interest to read more about you.  Some examples would be if you are a system administrator professional the “scanner” is going to be looking for – MCSE, Microsoft, Unix, Linux, Exchange, Server etc.  If you are a warehouse professional the scanner is going to be looking for – shipping, receiving, loading, picking etc.

5 tip on keyword

1.  Put keywords up high in your resume – Make sure they are shouting to the viewer “I am the person you are looking to hire”.  Have your keywords in the title and top of your qualifications list

2.  Make sure the most relevant keywords have all been placed in the first half of your resume – You have only a few seconds to grab the attention of the viewer.  If the keywords are lower in the resume, chances are you are going to lose the viewer

3.  Each bullet point in your qualifications list needs to have all keywords – Each bullet point should have at least one keyword.  Don’t over saturate but make sure you have them all covered very quickly.

4.  Make sure your keywords are relevant – You may think one resume will do it for you but if you are applying to different positions that call for different skill sets, make sure you have the right keywords highlighted and change your resume for each job if you have to.

5.  Read the job description! – Read the job description for the position you are applying to, find the most common phrases and terms in the job description and then put them in your resume.  Hiring managers and recruiters give you the all the information, you just need to use it.

The bottom line, keywords are key to getting your resume read.  Make sure you use them right!

We at Easy Way Resume want to share with you what we are thankful for.

1.  We are thankful for our clients! - without you, we aren’t here, so thank you!

2.  We are thankful to be able to help people reach their career goals! – We have helped people of all skill levels and backgrounds and from all over the country and world be able to get that next great job.

3.  We are thankful that people trust us for our career advice! – It really is great that our clients and blog readers search us out for our advice, we truly hope we have been able to help you in your career goals

4.  We are thankful to hear about your success and know that we had a small part of it! – We are here to make sure you get where you want to go and when we hear back that we were a part of it, that’s why we are here

5.  We are thankful for all our blog readers! – We are happy to help you out in any way.

The bottom line – Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday and we want to keep helping you in the future.

We see many times that resumes come to us and they are 3 or more pages long.  When we create resumes one of our primary goals is to get that resume down to 2 pages or less.  We do that for specific reasons and as hiring managers and recruiters, we know what others are going to want to see.  Are there occasions when your resume can go over 2 pages?  Sure but for 95% of job searchers out there, keep it in mind that 2 pages or less is the standard and below is why.

1.  2 page resumes force you to think about what is the most important information on your resume - When you just write your resume as long as it can be, you can be assured there is non-relevant information included, 2 pages forces you to put the most important information in your resume.

2.  More than 2 page resume will make the viewer miss important information on the later pages – Hiring managers and recruiters are busy, they don’t want to go through 5 pages of information to find your most important experience, if it’s lower on the resume it will be missed.

3.  You have 15 seconds to impress – Remember your resume will be scanned by hiring managers and recruiters to see if you have the right experience, if it’s too long, your best information will not been seen.

4.  Keywords get lost – Keywords are very important to get in front of hiring managers and recruiters right away, more than 2 pages and they are lost and you may lose your chance at getting that interview (which is what you want).

5.  The snooze factor – When a hiring manager and recruiter opens up your resume, one of the first things they do is see how long it is.  If it’s too long the thought is “oh wow, how am I going to find what I need in this resume” instead of “oh good, this resume is only 2 pages long, I’ll be able to read this quickly”.  Make it easy for them and keep them awake and interested!

The bottom line, keep your resume to 2 pages or less and give yourself the best opportunity to get that interview!

We talk a lot about hiring manager and recruiters here and I wanted to give you some reasons why you should use a recruiter.  A recruiter’s job is to find you a job, that’s how they get paid.  Treat them like a hiring manager be professional and listen to what they have to tell you.  They are going to know the ins and outs of a particular job and give you an excellent way into a job.

Below are 6 reasons you should use a recruiter to help you get your next job:

1. Hidden Job Market – A recruiter’s job is to find job openings and get them filled for a hiring manager.  There are many jobs out there that are not published or posted on any job board; they get sent directly to a recruiter. 

2. Connections - Recruiters have work with hiring managers and sr. level executives – and have access to people in companies that you don’t. Recruiters have the connections to get you in the door, but also get feedback – whether positive or negative – rather quickly. Think of how many others are applying to the same job you are…tons. Hiring managers aren’t able to keep up with every resume sent to them. A recruiter can guarantee that you won’t be just another resume in a pile.

3.  Expertise - Are you asking for too little or too much pay for a position?  Are you ready for a higher level position?  Do you have the right technical skills?  A recruiter is paid to know and will let you know.  They won’t send your resume to a hiring manager if you aren’t right and they will tell you up front.  They can also be used as a valuable resource to see what you need to be considered for positions.

4.  They are on your side - The recruiter’s goal is the same as yours – get you into the job!  They don’t get paid unless you do get the job and you have someone that is working for you to get you into that new position.

5.  You will receive coaching and preparation for the interview – The recruiter knows the hiring manager and their “hot buttons”.  You don’t get that when you are on your own.  They will let you know what to say and what not to say to a hiring manager to make sure you are presenting yourself in the best way.

6.  They’re Free! – We all like free stuff!  The recruiter’s fees come from the employer.  You have nothing to lose by seeing if they can help you.  If you do run into a recruiter that is charging YOU to look for a position, RUN AWAY, that’s not how the recruiting industry works.

The bottom line, recruiters are another valuable resource to help you get that next position, use them to help you out!

Good luck out there!

Thank you notes are something that should be part of all of career search but are very often forgotten.  It’s easy to think, “I just nailed that interview, now all I have to do is wait for the offer letter” or “After that interview, there’s no way I’m getting that job”, but you never know for sure.  The interview is never over until you send a thank you note, whether you think you got the job or not, it’s professional.

FYI – Send the thank you not within 4 – 8 hours after the interview.  Too soon and the hiring manager hasn’t had the time to collect their thoughts on the interview.  Too late, and it comes off as an afterthought.

Below or 5 key reasons why you should always send a Thank You Note after an interview:

1.  It’s what a professional does – it doesn’t matter if you have the job or not, or the level of the job.  Do it the right way and you will be remembered.

2.  It’s a formal reminder to the hiring manager – How many times have you thought, should I contact the hiring manager about the interview?  Sending a thank you note is a professional way of saying “Remember Me!” and it’s expected.  It’s an easy way to keep you in front of the hiring manager.

3.  It sets you apart from the others (you want that) – Many people simply don’t send a thank you note.  A hiring manager interviews many people in the day and it starts to become a big blur.  Help them out!  Make them remember you as the one who did it the right way.

4.  You show desire – Whether you are going to get the job or not, it shows that you are interested, you do want to move forward and you will take all the formal steps to get that job.

5.  It’s a memory trigger – Maybe you didn’t get that job but when the hiring manager has another position and saved your thank you note (most do), you already have that in for the next job. 

The bottom line, a thank you note takes only a few minutes to write and send.  Give yourself the best opportunity to get the job and be considered a professional when you’re doing it!