ResumeDump Homepage
What Do Recruiters Want Anyway?
No one is more qualified to give you job searching advice than the people behind your next job. For that reason, surveys of recruiters and hiring managers are the gold standard by which all other job searching advice should be measured.Unfortunately, these surveys are rare or outdated. The most recent "Cover Letters and Resume Survey" by the Society for Human Resource Management is over two years old.
Given the importance of these surveys and the absence of fresh data, the HotJobs editors decided to survey the recruiters and hiring managers who use HotJobs. We asked for their preferences on resume delivery, format and length. Here are the results.
Majority of Recruiters Want Resumes Via E-Mail
Rarely will you get 83 percent of folks to agree on anything. So when that percentage of recruiters told us they preferred to receive resumes via e-mail, we listened.
This information is particularly useful for job seekers who are submitting resumes "cold" -- not in connection with a specific job opening. However, if you are sending your resume in connection with a specific job, the best way to determine the delivery method is to carefully read the job ad and follow the instructions to the letter.
Recruiters Prefer Chronological Resumes
When it comes to resume format, the chronological resume is the undisputed champ.
Eighty-four percent of recruiters surveyed by HotJobs said they preferred chronological resumes to functional resumes.
Chronological resumes list work experience from most to least recent and include dates (usually month and year) of employment.
Some people abandon chronological resumes in an attempt to hide their age. I haven't seen any data -- scientific or anecdotal -- that suggest this strategy works.
One possibility for job seekers concerned about their age is to break the "Experience" section into two parts:
- Relevant Experience: List work experience and accomplishments as they relate to the job opening.
- Work History: List dates employed, title, employer name and location.
This technique allows you to include dates, but lower in the resume. It looks something like this:
JOHN DOE
555 Mockingbird Lane
New York, NY (555) 555-5555
RELEVANT EXPERIENCEEditor, ACME Publishing Edited stories for clarity and accuracy Managed copy editing team Interviewed prominent political figures
Staff writer, Poobah Publishing Covered celebrity events Monitored news feeds for breaking stories Assisted senior editorial team with research
WORK HISTORY
1981-present Editor, ACME Publishing, New York, NY 1977-1981 Staff writer, Poobah Publishing, New York, NYEDUCATION
Boston University, BA, English, 1977
Recruiters Relaxing One-Page Resume Rule
Most surveys designed to measure the preferences of recruiters ask about resume length. The problem is this: Few surveys ask this question the same way.
The Society for Human Resource Management survey asked recruiters how they reacted to a one-page resume versus a two-page resume. The HotJobs survey asked recruiters if it was acceptable for a resume to be longer than one page.
Not surprisingly, the two surveys' findings differed.
The SHRM survey found that 55 percent of recruiters respond positively to a one-page resume versus 44 percent for a two-page resume. Only four percent of recruiters responded positively to a resume that exceeded two pages.
In the HotJobs survey, over 53 percent of respondents said it was acceptable for a resume to be longer than one page. Forty-one percent said it was acceptable only if the applicant had extensive experience. Only six percent said it was not acceptable.
Taken together, these two surveys suggest that a two-page resume, when warranted, may not hurt your chances of moving to the next stage of the hiring process.
That's good news for many of you who've written me to say that one page was just not enough to fit in all your career experience.
Recruiters seem to agree that the length of the resume should, within limits, reflect the experience of the candidate.
What Do Recruiters Do With Unsolicited Resumes?
While it may seem as if your unsolicited resume gets pulled into a virtual black hole from which no light (or opportunity) can escape, a HotJobs survey found that most recruiters file unsolicited resumes.
The meaning of "file" varies across companies, with more companies replacing "hard files" -- think filing cabinet and manila folders -- with sophisticated databases that allow recruiters to perform complex searches in their quest for the perfect candidate. This increases the chances that your resume actually will emerge from oblivion.
Thirty-eight percent of recruiters surveyed said they consider unsolicited resumes for positions currently open at the company. If a match is not found, the resume is typically filed.
A chilling 17 percent of recruiters said they "discard" unsolicited resumes.
While the survey did not define "unsolicited resume," it's generally taken to mean a resume that is not sent in connection to an available job opportunity.
Many career experts suggest, and our survey seems to agree, that informational interviews and networking may be the best way to express your interest in working for a company when there are no relevant job openings available.
: