Employers reject 90 percent of resumes--will your resume survive the cut?

By Angie Jones

In today's highly competitive job market, only those with exceptional resumes will be called to interview. It isn't unusual for even the most qualified candidate to be rejected due to a poorly designed resume. Unemployment is expensive. Writing your own resume using a template designed years ago can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in lost income each week.

Many job seekers mistakenly believe that because their old resume worked years ago, it will work again in today's job market. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Due to the sheer volume of resumes that employers receive, many have opted to automate their hiring system. Rather than read each resume from start to finish, employers more often require that job seekers upload their resumes into a database with resumes from hundreds/thousands of other candidates. At that point, hiring managers filter for select industry-related keywords very similar to a Google search. The more hits they find, the more likely your resume is to be printed and reach the hands of the hiring manager.

Jumpstart your job search and improve your response rate by developing an effective marketing strategy that demonstrates to the employer why you are the best candidate for the position. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible using numbers, dollar amounts, and percentages as this information will demonstrate both the level of responsibility that you've held, as well as your success in the position. Search current job postings for the most sought after industry-related keywords and use them within sentences to establish context optimizing your resume for the employer's ATS (Applicant Tracking Software) 

I often hear job seekers state that "a resume won't get you a job" and this is true. Building a strong network and interviewing skills are also key to an effective job search. However, a poor or mediocre resume can prevent you from getting a job. Many polls show that only one or two typos are enough to disqualify a candidate from consideration. In fact, I've even worked with a job seeker who had been offered a job with the resume supposedly required as a formality. The employer later rescinded the job offer after reading the job seeker's self-written resume which lacked organization and demonstrated poor written communication skills.

An example of a resume incorporating many of these marketing principals is available for review. Click here.

If you aren't sure what is required on your resume in order to capture the hiring manager's attention--this isn't a good time to experiment. Professional resume writers are not all alike. In fact, many have no specific training and use the same templates available to anyone with Internet access. Make sure that your resume writer is certified and then verify his/her certifications. Many writers claim to be certified, yet are not. Training and talent varies greatly and quality is often sacrificed when working with local writers or resume mills so ask to see samples of their work. The investment in the highest quality resume is often little more than that for a mediocre resume.

Angela Jones is an award winning Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Certified Employment Interview Consultant (CEIC).  Other notable credentials held by Angela include her status as one of the few professional resume writers to have received the coveted TORI Award (Toast of the Resume Industry); a prestigious international competition recognizing the “best of the best” by industry peers and an accolade that few experience.  Angela has also had samples of her work accepted for inclusion in recently published books such as “Military-to-Civilian Resumes and Letters: How to Best Communicate Your Strengths to Civilian Employers.”