Gone in 15 seconds

Fifteen seconds. When you hear the oft-quoted statistic about how long an employer actually looks at your résumé, what do you do?

Do you just assume that things will be different for you?

Do you try not to think about it, yet still sort of look at it out of the corner of your eye while you make more and more tweaks to a résumé that hasn’t been working for you?

Do you go back to the beginning and start all over, thinking you’ll have to write another résumé anyway for it to apply to still another position with a slightly different job description?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above, let’s look at a new solution. (And if you answered “No” to all of them, leave us a comment and tell us what you think about that statistic.)

Your résumé, once complete, shouldn’t require much revision at all when applying for one job versus another. The real work goes into defining what YOU want to do, then making that shine through.

And where it all begins – where the clock starts ticking – is the summary section of your résumé. Nail the summary, and you’ll automatically beat the 15-second average.

But how do you do it?

Over on 6FigureJobs.com, you’ll find this bit of advice: “Begin your documents with a very strong, well-written executive summary that does not sound like a recycled textbook description. Right off the bat, explain what your key strengths are and what makes you different from other applicants with similar credentials.”

At SpencerStuart.com, you’ll get similar advice: “The career summary brings together your unique skills experience, qualifications and achievements in a single passage. It should provide a précis of what you offer that makes the recruiter want to know more – and read on.” (Read the “Start with a summary” section in that article for more details.)

And on that behemoth of job search sites, Monster.com, you’ll get the six-step guide to creating a career summary. (They make it sound so simple, don’t they?)

Bottom line: As we like to say here, if it isn’t a winner, it’s a killer. And the first battle in the résumé game is your summary. Start there, get clear on what you want, and write it so an employer can easily see the value you bring to the table.

And finally, show your summary to someone who doesn’t know what you do on a daily basis. If that person “gets it” in 15 seconds, you’re well on your way.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes® today!

2 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a comment