Time to Turn Digital: Stand Out in a Crowded Market

The economy may still be slowly recovering, but the competition is fiercer than ever. According to recruiting intelligence firm, an average of 250 resumes are received for every corporate job opening--and those numbers may be even higher for IT positions. Google, for example, has more than one million job applicants every year.

Your resume is an essential tool for getting the attention of hiring personnel. How long the average recruiter spends reviewing a resume? 6 Seconds.

You can improve your resume's reception by making it scannable--clear, professionally organized, and with relevant information that's positioned where the recruiter expects to find it. A scannable resume improves recruiter ratings by 60 percent, according to the recruiting intelligence firm.

Today's scannable resume: Case study and accomplishments

Your relevant work experience--whether as an employee, intern, or student--is the meat of your resume. To make this information scannable, it's best to break out the information into progressive sections that showcase your accomplishments.

1. State the problem

Outline an issue that you faced during your time on the job. Be sure to describe how the problem affected the company, and any complications that arose from it.

2. State the solution

How did you solve the problem? Discuss the steps you took, the resources you used, and your implementation process.

3. State your role as an employee

Discuss how you were connected to the issue. If solving the problem was not part of your specified job duties, emphasize that you took the initiative in resolving the issue.

4. What was the business outcome?

This section is one that can make a real difference in your resume and help you stand out from the other applicants. Detailing the business outcomes that resulted from your accomplishments can show recruiters that you'll bring real value to the company.

One of the best ways to emphasize your accomplishments is by quantifying success with numbers. Concrete and highly scannable, figures and percentages are a quick way to demonstrate your skills and grab a recruiter's attention. For example, if you installed faster servers, you "increased network efficiency by X%".

Power verbs are another effective method for making a resume scannable. When describing your business outcomes, begin your phrases with words like initiated, improved, increased, and resolved. These types of keywords serve to emphasize your results over your qualifications--the best way to get your foot in a recruiter's door.

If you are looking to stand our as an IT professional, speak to the staffing experts at Clearpoint today.

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