How Hiring Managers Review Resumes
As you draft your resume, it’s important to consider how a hiring manager plans on reviewing it. Understanding the process can help you create a resume that stands out to hiring managers and highlights your key qualifications. This article outlines what hiring managers look for when reviewing your resume, how to review your resume like a hiring manager and helpful resume writing tips.
What do hiring managers look for when reviewing resumes?
When hiring managers review resumes, they often skim to find the most relevant information. This is because they typically sort through several hundred applications in a day, so doing this helps them to distinguish the most qualified candidates at a quicker pace. Here are some things hiring managers look for when reviewing resumes:
Relevant keywords
Hiring managers look for key qualifications for the job they’re hiring for. Specifically, they’re looking for keywords they mentioned in the job posting and description. They often scan for these keywords throughout the experience and skills section of your resume.
Verification
Hiring managers look to see if you’re a qualified candidate based on your education, certifications and previous job titles. This helps them determine if you’d be a good fit for the role you’re applying for. Though it’s important for them to see you list certain keywords, they also want to know that professional institutions have verified your skills.
Exaggerations
Hiring managers want to ensure you’re not overly embellishing your skills. To do this, they view your skills section and determine whether it’s a true reflection of your abilities based on what they see throughout the rest of your resume and whether you provided an added explanation.
Career progression
Hiring managers want to see that you’ve grown professionally throughout your career. They want to know that you’re looking to advance your skills and knowledge. They do this by viewing your previous job titles and the dates in which you held these positions.
Online presence
Some hiring managers look for evidence of your online presence to provide them with a greater understanding of who you are. They may view your social media accounts or online portfolio. This also provides them with added clarity regarding your abilities and qualifications.
How to review a resume like a hiring manager
To sort through applications more quickly, hiring managers often use a specific process to identify the most qualified candidates. If you pass the review process, the hiring manager may reach out to you for an interview. Reviewing your resume like a hiring manager can help ensure you’re submitting a quality application. Here are the steps to follow when reviewing your resume like a hiring manager:
- Scan for overall presentation.
- Check for spelling and grammar errors.
- Look for relevant qualifications.
- Read your career aspirations.
- Review your experience.
- Look for red flags.
- Do a final revision.
- Scan for overall presentation
A professional and clean resume shows your organizational skills. Start the resume review process by doing an overall glance at your resume. Hiring managers look for an organized layout, adequate information and plenty of white space for readability, further demonstrating your professionalism.
- Check for spelling and grammar errors
Hiring managers want to see a professional and clear resume that flows naturally. Do a quick read-through of your resume and check for any typos and grammatical errors. A resume free from error shows them you have strong attention to detail.
- Look for relevant qualifications
Hiring managers look for candidates who can meet the job’s expectations and have the skills needed to perform the job well. For example, if the job requires a college degree, they may quickly glance at the education section of your resume to ensure you meet this qualification. This lets them know you’ve met the basic requirements.
- Read your career aspirations
Hiring managers want to know that you’re interested in the role you’re hiring for. This helps them find a dedicated employee who might stay on with the company for some time. View your specific career goals and what you’re looking for in your next position. When hiring managers do this, it lets them know that your aspirations coordinate with what their company has to offer.
For example, if you state you want a challenging position that can advance your skills, it’s important to revise this statement to include details specific to the job you’re applying for. This can include skills and software you believe are useful in this role. You can also mention how the company’s mission aligns with yours.
- Review your experience
Hiring managers want employees with relevant experience to the job you’re applying for. To ensure your qualifications match, review your experience and your most recent employers. When hiring managers do this, it allows them to find specific characteristics and keywords useful to the role you’re applying for. Reviewing your recent employers lets them know what skills you’ve used most recently.
Hiring managers also look to see if you made any accomplishments or specific contributions in your previous roles. This gives them an idea of what type of results you may bring to their company. To do this, review your accomplishments listed throughout your previous job duties. By this stage, the hiring manager should know if you’re a suitable match for the role. If they consider you a qualified candidate, they set aside your resume and go over it with more detail later.
- Look for red flags
It’s important that your resume accurately portrays your skills and qualifications. Look for red flags or unexplained details such as employment gaps, lack of career progression, short-term employment and other deterrents. Doing this allows hiring managers to assess how successful you’d be as an employee.
- Do a final revision
Hiring managers set aside resumes during this process they want to revisit. Give your resume a final review and consider how your job qualifications and overall resume might compare to resumes from other candidates vying for the same position. If your resume continues to stand out, they schedule a phone interview to screen you prior to bringing you in for an in-person interview.
Tips for writing an effective resume
It’s important to create an effective resume that passes a hiring manager’s resume review and increases your chance of getting a job. Here are some tips for helping your resume stand out among other strong candidates:
Include your degree or certification even if you haven’t completed them yet.
If you list a degree or certification you’re pursuing, include an expected completion date. This lets them know that you’re working toward obtaining a certain set of skills.
Use slash titles
If your previous job title isn’t relevant to the job you’re applying for but the job duties are, consider using a slash title. For example, instead of saying “Arts Designer,” you can say “Arts Designer/Editor.” This provides emphasis on a keyword without them having to read through your entire list of job duties.
Use keywords found in the job posting
Include relevant keywords you found in the job posting and job description. Some hiring managers use a database to scan your resume. These databases look for specific keywords relevant to the job.
Sourced from Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/reviewing-resumes
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