Dear Matt: I always wonder what makes my résumé stand out to one company or recruiter and not another? I recently submitted my résumé to six companies and only heard back from one. Why do you think I stood out to the one company, but not the others?
Matt says: There are countless possibilities. Your résumé may have included experience or language that was a direct fit for the job you were called about, while the other five may not have been a fit from a skills perspective. A lot of large companies use applicant tracking systems to prescreen résumés, so if yours doesn't include certain keywords or match experiences, it may never even be read by a human being. Perhaps the employer that called you felt your experience and employment aligned with their company goals and values. Maybe they hired someone from your company before and found job seekers from that company to be a good fit. Maybe the hiring manager went to the same college as you. Maybe you had that specific technical expertise others didn't.
Every recruiter has certain unique qualities they look for in a candidate, says Elizabeth Laukka (Elizabethlaukka.com), a Twin Cities advertising, public relations and digital recruiter. "I know when I'm hiring, the candidates who immediately grab my attention typically come directly from the top 10-20 competitors in my field," says Laukka.
HR professionals and recruiters are trained to look for additional qualities beyond experience or education when scanning résumés. For example, entry-level job seekers who are active in collegiate athletics, a fraternity or sorority, student senate, the school newspaper or a campus organization are usually going to be viewed as determined and team players — something that is attractive to employers hiring job seekers with limited professional experience. When recruiting for PR or communications positions, Laukka looks at a résumé's writing style (e.g. no typos). If it's for a creative position, they may look at the design and aesthetics of a résumé. Executive leaders must show examples of leading teams and financial success and growth.
Others stick to traditional assets, such as consistent work experience with the same company over a long period of time; others, like those in IT, may embrace job seekers who change jobs or continually add new skill sets, since their industry is constantly evolving and changing. If you read that a company sponsors certain nonprofit events and you have professional or volunteer experience or hobbies that line up with that, mention that in your résumé; make it speak to each specific organization.
"Every company has its distinct culture and values and a résumé should reflect and match that," says Laukka. "It shows you understand the company and care about your presentation."
Contact Matt at jobslink@startribune.com.
