With more potential employees applying for jobs than ever before, recruiters have become an invaluable resource to companies and businesses looking to fill a specific role with the perfect candidate. Recruiters vet, assess and interview candidates they believe would fit the criteria laid before them by the employer.
But, with entry level jobs receiving hundreds of applicants, how does one get the attention of a recruiter?
Aside from the obvious standout candidates who match every criteria set forward in the recruiting guidelines, there are ways to ensure that you as an applicant are noticed and considered.
Craft an impactful resume
“Since I am searching through hundreds of resumes a day, I have to quickly discern top talent. Resumes that are specific and well-formatted often catch my attention,” said Bob Myhal, CEO of NextHire.biz.
Since your resume is a representation of you, it is important that it is well crafted and hits the mark. Recruiters often look at resumes for only a few seconds. That means it’s critical that you make sure your resume is as impactful as positive.
Commenting more precisely on what makes a resume “impactful”, Sheldon Resnick, a Toronto-based executive recruiter with more than 30 years experience in the sector, points to five key areas that recruiters particularly focus on in a resume:
- A short and precise objective.
- How long you have been at your current company.
- What you’ve been working on recently and how relevant it is.
- Previous employment and how long and how relevant the company was at the time.
- Education.
Focus on social media presence
Important to note: the new job landscape also incorporates social media. Recruiters check potential candidate’s social presence to make sure it aligns with the company. However, just like inappropriate photos on Facebook may cost you an employment opportunity, so will a lack of social presence.
LinkedIn is one of the top resources for scouting passive talent. “Not having a LinkedIn profile during a job search is like going fishing without any bait. It’s possible to catch a fish on a bare hook, but it’s gonna take a whole lot longer,” says Bethany Perkins, Manager of Recruiting and Human Resources at SoftwareAdvice.com. “Having a detailed and descriptive LinkedIn profile is crucial if you want to get noticed by recruiters.”
Establish a positive relationship with recruiters
Recruiters value their reputation and do not want to present candidates that are less than ideal. While you may not be the perfect candidate for one job, recruiters are presented with dozens of employment opportunities a year. That means establishing a good relationship with a recruiter will help them to remember you when those job opportunities roll in.
Executive recruiter Sheldon Resnick also points out that recruiters want to make those long-term employment connections. “Recruiters have a repository of potential candidates,” explained Resnick. “If you have fostered a favourable relationship with your recruiter or impressed them with a stellar CV, they will keep you in mind for future positions.”
Being truthful, transparent and realistic is the best way to foster a positive relationship with recruiters. “Honesty is the most important thing,” says Sheldon Resnick, head of Sheldon Resnick and Associates. “Even a little lie on a resume can cost you the job down the line and fracture the line of communication between the recruiter and the company.”
Ultimately recruiters want to find people to fill jobs, which is why they are hired. Make sure you stand out by having a concise, impressive resume, a social presence and a robust network.