When looking to hire a candidate, recruiters typically have several resumes to review, and they don’t always have too much time to do this. No matter how skilled you may be, it is in your best interest to keep your resume short. While it is favorable to have a one-page resume, a two-page one is acceptable too.
If you have worked for the past 20 or 30 years, you may have vast experience in various industries. While keeping your resume short now may seem challenging considering your background, beware of letting it become just a boring long list of past jobs.
Relevant industry experience is vital.
Recruiters are looking to see if your experience is in keeping with the skill set and requirements of the current job opportunity. Do you have what it takes to align with the role available? Prioritizing your suitable experience for the job on offer helps you maximize the limited space on your resume.
Let’s look at how your resume can make you stand out from the crowd.
- Focus on the relevant roles
Ensure that your resume includes all previous jobs that are relevant to the current opening. Mention only the company name, designation and time spent on less relevant roles as large career gaps tend to raise a red flag for recruiters. Focus on company names, job titles, periods at companies and responsibilities for positions relevant to the current application.
- Don’t list all jobs in one company
During the past years, you may have spent a long time at various positions in a single company. List only the most recent role you had in your company, including a brief note on your promotions and responsibilities. Most recruiters are not interested in every rung of your career ladder or all past experience in one company.
- Expand on your history online
Generally, your resume should be concise and to the point. If you find that you still need to provide further employment history or offer more information, give a link to your complete employment history online. Making use of networking websites like LinkedIn and adding a short link to your updated profile is sure to prove beneficial as it makes you easy to find.
- Include other earlier roles more naturally in your resume
While writing your resume, you can highlight previous jobs by adding them to different parts, like in your personal profile. Giving recruiters context of your past career can help them decide if you fit the role currently available.
While still providing a full overview of your past employment, your resume shouldn’t take up too much of the recruiter’s precious time. It should be short and manage to use your strengths to convince the recruiter that you are suitable for the available role while still holding their attention.
If you can achieve a punchy, concise and relevant resume, you are sure to have a good shot at filling that job opening.
