Ask a Recruiter: What to Include in Your Resume

When it comes to resumes, what makes some candidates stand out and others disappear into the crowd? Here are some of the answers regarding what to include in your resume.

I look for three things in a resume before I take another step. I open the resume file and skim down the page to determine the candidate’s industry, geographic location, and preferred job title. After I confirm that all of these things match what my clients are looking for, I read back through the resume with more attention to small details.

I like resumes that are easy to skim. Hiring managers may study each resume with a fine-toothed comb, but as recruiters, it’s our job to quickly read through a large pile of submissions or online profiles and narrow them as efficiently as possible. The things that help me do this are clearly organized subheadings, bullet lists with parallel structure, and font sizes that fall between 11 and 12. I like resumes that claim accomplishments, certifications, and experience that exactly match what my employer clients are looking for, as in word-for-word. If you’re applying for work through a recruiter, make sure your phrases and claims line up as perfectly as possible with the requests and requirements in the job post.

I like resumes that suggest the candidate will make me proud when I present him or her to my employer clients. I avoid candidates who may embarrass me or call my credibility into question. So in order to enlist my help, you’ll need to make a strong impression of reliability, professionalism, honesty, and integrity. For me, clear formatting and grammar go a long way. I’ll support any qualified candidate who knows how to use the language properly, and this is a surprisingly small percentage of the population. Now that you know what to include in your resume, use that knowledge to create your own with our simplified Resume Builder.