Why HR Is not Impressed With Your Resume

Why HR Is not Impressed With Your Resume Here a visual for you: You walk into a bookstore and notice the table of new releases right in the front. Its full of shiny new titles, ranging from childrens picture books with brightly colored illustrations, to dark and mysterious science fiction, candy-colored chick lit, and the latest political biography. Youre looking for a book that speaks to you, something you can read on your subway ride home perhaps, or on your porch in the early evening after work, or on the weekends in your downtime. Which selection do you NOT pick? If you answered the childrens picture book with the brightly colored illustrations, then youre following me. While the graphics might be fun and pleasing, common sense tells you that the childrens picture book simply wasnt written with you as the audience in mind, and you likely wont get the same value out of it that you would, say, your favorite genre of a more age-appropriate nature. The same theory applies to how you approach writing, presenting and marketing your resume and cover letter. One of the quickest ways to ensure that your resume wont propel you to the interview stage is to write it for the wrong audience. When I worked in recruiting, most of my candidates were in the creative industry graphic and web designers, copywriters, art directors, creative directors. Theyre used to working in a capacity where someone called a Creative Director was regarded as the decision maker. And as such, when they were looking for a job, they crafted a resume that was designed to impress the Creative Director. The problem here? It had to get past human resources or the recruiter first, and that person very rarely was an expert in the creative industry. So while all the industry jargon, minimalism, and flashy design may have been impressive to the Creative Director who values that type of thing, HR didnt understand it enough to be able to sell that person to the hiring manager. As much as we dont like it, human resources or the third party recruiter is often the gatekeeper in the hiring process, and you have to write your materials with that person in mind. In most cases, theyre a generalist theyre trained to look for the specific qualifications that are written in the job description, and then make informed recommendations to the hiring manager to interview the people who seem to best fit the needs of the role. Theyre not there to evaluate your presentation skills, your ability to create a funky resume, or be impressed by your unconventional marketing efforts. Theyre there to qualify you for the first round of review. Three tips to keep in mind when writing your resume or cover letter to help you get past the gatekeeper: Appeal to the Generalist More than the Specialist Certain keywords, knowledge and technologies are going to be important to highlight, but keep it concise and to the point. Make your unique value apparent by communicating your skills, strengths and expertise in a way that says you can not only do the job, but thrive in the role. And dont try to over-impress with excessive industry jargon. Always remember you are appealing to the generalist, not the specialist. Thats not a slight against HR, its simply their job. Avoid Flashy Design or Industry-Specific Memes Many people think that having a colorful and image-laden resume will help them stand out from a pile of monochrome text. It will, but not necessarily in a good way. Dont present your resume in a diagonal layout, use excessive colors, or lace it with unnecessary imagery. This stuff only takes up space, and even worse, detracts from your overall message and content. They just want to know the facts. Resist the Urge to Be Cheeky or Creative in Your Cover Letter Ive seen plenty of Copywriters play up the creative writing angle in their cover letters and resumes as an attempt to be funny, edgy, and stand out. This almost always backfires, because again, HR is not impressed they just want to know the facts. Dont tell your life story behind why youre changing industries, but do provide some context around why the companys work and mission really appeals to you professionally and personally. And seriously, leave the swear words at home. Your chance to flaunt your industry know-how and impress the decision maker, department head, or direct manager will come during the interview. Thats when youll have the chance to meet the team you might be working, colleagues youre likely to collaborate with, and managers you might be reporting to. The first step is to get yourself in the door by positioning yourself simply, concisely and confidently as someone who brings the right talents, knowledge and capabilities to the role. .