The LandaJob Blog:
Expert Perspectives and Industry Trends

An average recruiter spends only a few seconds profiling you. The question is — do you have what it takes to lock down the attention of the recruiter within that short time frame? When there’s a job opening and hundreds of applications are sent in, you cannot expect a recruiter to sit all day sifting through the good and the bad. You can get yourself inside a recruiter’s deleted mail folder if you don’t take precautions. Recruiters get paid for finding creative talents for clients, so you have to position yourself within the talent periscope of the recruiter with these three steps:

Step 1: Be Strategic with Keywords

There is something specific your recruiter is looking for, so don’t just pour it all out without using the right keywords that will catch the recruiters’ attention. When writing your resume, have in the back of your mind that the recruiter doesn’t have all the time in the world to scrutinize your resume. It’s always a brief perusal. Look through your resume yourself and highlight what catches your own attention. Go through the job description and highlight the words that were used often. Ensure you use these words in your resume. You should also use these words strategically in the skills and experience section of your resume.

Step 2: Highlight Your Quirks

Yes, your resume should be serious but that doesn’t mean the recruiter doesn’t like a little of the non-serious side. Remember it’s all about talent and breaking through the clutter, so the recruiter may be fascinated knowing you are a marketing major minoring in salsa dancing. Or a graphic design major with a drama minor. These additions aren’t relevant to the job, but they might get the recruiter to look deeper, improving your odds of making the cut.

Step 3: Get Your Sections Headings Right

The recruiter gets tired of seeing bland section headings such as Skills, Experience, Hobbies. Take it a step higher by daring to be different, with headings such as Content Management Skills, Technical Skills, or Project Management Skills. This will make your resume easy to navigate and understand. The recruiter will know where to look for what. Don’t just throw everything into the mix. If you are applying for database management roles, highlight aspects of this role in line with your experience. Using bold and eye-catching headings will help gain the attention of the recruiter. It may appear as a lot of work, but you are making the work of the recruiter easier and your chance of landing a job greater.