Can your resume pass the 10-second test?

A hard truth coming right out of the gate: the first time a recruiter looks at your resume, they aren't reading it. And it's not what you think....that doesn't mean AI is ruining everything, or that you didn't "beat the ATS." It means that recruiters look at hundreds of resumes every day, and they prioritize those with the most potential to be a strong candidate.

So, they scan. On average, they scan each resume for 8-10 seconds. If your resume doesn't impress during that scan, it's unlikely you will be called for an interview.

Sounds harsh, but think about it: If you had to read hundreds of resumes every day, and you're working on 20+ openings you need to fill, are you going to read every single resume line-by-line? Of course not. This isn't a recruiter being careless, or flippant: they are doing their jobs.

When you know what you're looking for, you learn pretty quickly to scan just for that.

Now, if a recruiter scans your resume and see what they need to see, they will look at it more in-depth, and that's where the content matters. So that's the trick. You need to catch a recruiter's eye quickly, then keep it with strong content.

I know it sounds daunting. How can I impress a recruiter in 10 seconds? I have lots of tips and tricks for that, but I'll tell you the most important one: readability. A colorful resume full of different boxes, a trendy design, and "individual" touches may be pretty, but it's not easy to scan. As the saying goes, Keep It Simple, Silly. (Keeping it kind, here.)

As we go on, I'll share what a good resume format looks like. I'll share how to use the job description/posting to your advantage, and I'll teach you how to ace that 10-second scan.

Happy job hunting, friends!