Have you ever wondered why, despite crafting what you thought was a stellar resume, you still receive rejection emails or worse, hear nothing at all?
Do you feel like your qualifications and experiences should be opening doors, but they seem to be met with closed opportunities instead?
It's frustrating, isn't it?
Well, there might be a glaring issue right in front of your eyes - a red flag that hiring professionals like Nolan Church, a former Google recruiter and current CEO of talent marketplace Continuum, has identified.
Imagine the scenario that you're sitting in a bustling office, surrounded by stacks of resumes, each one representing a hopeful candidate vying for a position. Time is of the essence, and you, the hiring manager, have mere seconds to skim through each resume.
What catches your eye? What makes you want to read more about a particular applicant? The answer is clarity and conciseness.
Church, with his wealth of experience in talent acquisition, has pinpointed a major stumbling block on resumes that instantly raise alarm bells - 'text bricks'.
These are those intimidating chunks of text that fill your resume's job descriptions, making it look like an excerpt from a novel rather than a succinct professional summary.
Why does this matter? you might ask.
Well, think about how you absorb information in this fast-paced digital world. Quick scans and brief glances - that's what most resumes get initially. If your resume is inundated with dense paragraphs and lengthy sentences, it's highly likely that crucial details about your qualifications and achievements will be missed.
Church advises you to break down those bulky text blocks into concise, impactful bullet points. Trim down those three to four-sentence monstrosities into bite-sized, one-line nuggets of information.
In an era of rapid digital communication, mastering the art of brevity is key.
Additionally, Church suggests using helpful tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly to streamline your language and ensure your resume packs a punch without unnecessary verbosity. These tools are accessible and can guide you in polishing not just your grammar, but also your overall message.
Remember, your resume is your first chance to make a lasting impression.
Church's advice is clear: optimise it for a 10-second viewer.
Imagine you're looking at your resume for the first time – would it capture your attention amidst a sea of applications?
So?
Keeping your resume crisp, clear, and to-the-point may just be the difference that sets you on the path to success. Hence, steer clear of the 'text bricks', and watch your job prospects soar.