How to prime your resume so that an employer calls back and schedules an interview

2016-11-29T14:11:01-05:00

Like many people, I have spent some time being between opportunities in my career path. I have also embarked on the rat race of trying to get just a phone call back or even a real interview. Today’s job market is hard and employers seem to be scrutinizing candidates at a level where it seems nigh impossible to get a foot in the door. With this in mind, I want to share some helpful tips I have received that have actually worked:

1) Quantify things! They want to know how you will make or save money and numbers do that.

2) Use verbs - you are a leader. Be bold. Use words like led, developed, created, and championed. Make sure that your action verbs and quantifications are close in proximity inside of the bullet points.

3) Include language skills if you have them. Bi-lingual employees are in huge demand.

4) Don’t list cheesy tech skills like Office, PowerPoint, or Word. Everyone uses these programs now.

5) Be direct. You have 7 seconds from the time the resume is opened to impress them. Concise and strong bullet points make that happen.

6) Don’t drag on. Keep it simple and list 1-4 points per employer.

7) Use your contacts and connections. 10% interviews come from the internet and the rest are networking/social.

8) Don’t just include things in your resume to fill up space. Professional summaries, while nice, are definitely not needed as you can explain that during the interview.

9) Have an awards and other achievements section. This is the best place to list campaign, unit, and personal awards.

10) Include academic achievements if notable. List any GPA that is 3.75 or above.

11) Know your audience. Military courses/experiences are great, but you need to translate them to the person reviewing the resume.

In summation, resumes, interviews, and the whole job searching process is pain, but it is surmountable. Make sure to get on networking sites like RallyPoint, network in person, and never rest when it comes to your resume. I hope to see a lot of filled jobs on RallyPoint after this article!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 2:13 PM

2016-11-29T14:13:55-05:00

I have always been successful with my resume... thank goodness and have helped others with theirs. It can be tough at times for sure

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Nov 29 at 2016 2:37 PM

2016-11-29T14:37:41-05:00

great article these are the reason I joined RALLY POINT and these are the things that help develop us as civilians.
9) Have an awards and other achievements section. This is the best place to list campaign, unit, and personal awards.
You tell me how listing your awards in a section of your resume is going to have your employer call you back, NO GO bro, I tried this many times and throw this out of my resume and shortened it a bit, My resume used to be 8 to 6 pages and now I just got down to 3 pages. MY resume is posted on RP for anyone to see so if they need help take a look.

I agree with a lot of your points but some of some are still a little military in away, I've been working with civilians in DOD and civilian sector that have 30 years plus, that have been writing resume and they have been guiding me in the right path.
One thing you forgot if anything is on your resume please don't list it on your Cover letter your beating a dead horse, you are trying to sell yourself at the last resort and this letter could be the finial decision an employer will make between you and another party applying for the position.

I don't want to steal your thunder but again it is a great article.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 5:01 PM

2016-11-29T17:01:45-05:00

When I was answering ads blindly (1983) I got about a 60% reply rate.

The best was, we are impressed with your experience, but, you obviously don't read the newspapers. We are closing our doors tomorrow.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 29 at 2016 5:44 PM

2016-11-29T17:44:54-05:00

STAR Method (Add specific examples), make your own website with custom email (mines bernardy.biz) and they shouldn't have to call you... YOU should call them. I wanted a job at AWS, and I made it happen (21 with no degree... hate to brag, but I can definitely brag about that).

Also, the layout of your resume matters. Highlight key skills you have at the top left (eyes look there first naturally on anything). If anyone needs help with finding jobs at Amazon and how to prep for interviews and lifestyle, don't hesitate to message me.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 30 at 2016 8:58 AM

2016-11-30T08:58:17-05:00

Hi, Sergeant Biggs.

I always wrote my resumes as part of a system. I kept a blog and maintained a Twitter account in which I posted or wrote relevant business articles, and included them in the contact block. With the expectation that potential employers would investigate my online social presence, I could point them in the direction I wanted. I imagine there are some complete lunatics named Tony Lamb on Facebook, and I didn’t want them finding the wrong one. Anticipating that my resume would be viewed electronically, I hyperlinked all of my schools and jobs so that my education and work experience could be better iterated than on a one or two-page resume.

Response by Pooja Jain made Aug 11 at 2017 2:10 PM

2017-08-11T14:10:23-04:00

As a recruiter, i think your resume is the first impression you make when you apply for a job. It doesn't take more than ten seconds for a recruiter to scan a resume, note everything from your name to your education to your current title and company to your previous title and company. Creating an effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job.
The Headline and Summary sections of your resume are a good place to start creating this picture. Also, the Work Experience’ section should emphasize the results you’ve delivered with specific examples that show how you did it and what measurable results you achieved. Use concise sentences and bullets to make these results stand out.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 11 at 2017 7:57 PM

2017-08-11T19:57:58-04:00

If, and I mean IF, the resume gets in front of a decision-maker (so, gets past automated resume screening and a human resources staff), then have the relevant, specific skills somewhere up top, clear and obvious. Get to the hard-skills that you have. If your skills or experience relate to specific technologies (such as a specific programming language, or a specific software product), then make that clear.

Then, regarding automated resume screening and human resources offices, get around them by getting your resume directly to an employee in the area of the business where you would like to work. If you don't know anyone there, you can try attending user group meetings or meetups if you are in the area.