The New England Job Show

This article appeared originally in Work Coach Café.  It gives the job seeker a view to what a potential employer is thinking about as they review your information.

By Ronnie Ann

So what do I look for when I screen resumes and cover letters?

Here are the ten things that make a candidate’s application stand out for me:

1. Well-organized, professional appearance

You may think that’s obvious, but I’ve seen lots of resumes that look sloppy. Or hard to read. Or thrown together. Or scrunched up as if I wouldn’t notice they’re trying to squeeze it all into one page. By the way, you don’t have to do that…especially if you have lots of solid experience you want to highlight and truly need more than one page.

But you also don’t want to pad it with the same old same old again and again; if that’s all you have, one page is more than enough. For example…if you’re an analyst, no need to simply tell me you did analysis at each job. I get that. Tell me what type of analysis and the result. Show me something interesting for every job you list that helps you stand out from the masses! Now THAT’s worth an extra page.

Also know that sometimes when resumes are scanned, the first page gets viewed the most, so let that page be loaded with your best stuff even if you have to create a Highlights section at the top to do that.

And don’t forget to check out sample resumes and cover letters to see what great ones look like. The thoughtful use of bold, spacing, formatting, and different fonts can make a resume come to life for the reader.

2. Relevant skills

Resumes and cover letters need to be tailored to the job. Sending out the same resume and cover letter to everyone, hoping they will take the time to figure out who you really are, is a waste of everyone’s time. If you do that, you really are asking me to find a needle in a haystack. When I have a hundred or so resumes to go though, I appreciate those people who take the time to carefully highlight skills that match the actual job requirements as listed in the ad.

You can create a section at the top of the resume for this if your most recent jobs don’t exactly match the new job. Also use bullets on your cover letter to bring my attention to these all-important skills.

» Read more: Resumes: 10 Things I Look for When I Screen Resumes and Cover Letters