What Recruiters Look At In a Resume and My Formula

This article had some interesting information about how recruiters look at resumes. It's consistent with my theory, familiar to people I've coached, on how to write a good resume. Key points are:

• A resume tells a story
• You have very little time (they say 6 seconds, and I believe it) to hook a reader on the story
• That means you have to make it both interesting and relevant in a very short time
• The best way to do it (my major contribution to the art) is by writing something at the very top of the resume that makes the reader want to find out more. That implies:
• You have to make it personal.
• You have to make every word count.
• You have to avoid saying things that everyone else says. You want them to see you as both different and better than other candidates in just a few sentences.
• Don't say generic things the opposite of which is stupid. For example, the opposite of  "I am looking for a challenging job..." is stupid. No one says "I am looking for a job with no challenge..."

Recruiters are looking for two things when they read a resume: first, a reason to put your resume aside. Second, a reason to be interested.

So make them interested at the start, and don't give them a reason to put you aside. Which means: keep the rest as short and to the point as you can.

The top of the resume is most important. It gets less important as you go on.

Here's the an example from my resume in 1999. It was good enough that one of the best recruiters in Boston (who had forgotten that I wrote it) sent it to my daughter as an example of how to start a really good resume. It could be better, but it's one example for which I have an independent expert evaluation:

Overview:I’ve built, run and sold my own business. I’ve helped start ten companies as principal, advisor, or consultant, and worked for large companies as consultant. I have a strong, hands-on background in business process, IT, quality management, software engineering and software marketing/sales. I have a passion for learning new things, and for teaching people who are burning to learn. I’ve been exposed to almost every area of IT and computer science, from building accounting systems, to designing large database applications, to designing and building CASE tools, to writing compilers and hacking operating systems. I’m looking for a job where I can use and pass on what I’ve learned, and learn and pass on even more.

I think that would cause the people who I'd want to work for to read more. Equally important it would tell people who I'd never want to work for to not call me.