Leadership

Recruiters' Top Resume Pet Peeves

By Jessica Stillman

Updated on: March 4, 2009 / 7:46 AM EST / MoneyWatch

The Find: More than 500 recruiters specializing in placing executives weigh in on criteria that can make or break your resume.
The Source: A survey commissioned by executive job search site TheLadders.com asking for the opinions of 564 recruitment professionals.

The Takeaway: With millions of mid-career professionals out of work and competing for the limited number of quality positions available, job-hunting managers need all the help they can get. TheLadders is pitching in this week with a recent study asking executive recruiters to name the top ten aspects of a resume they look for when deciding how to proceed with a candidate. So what do they focus on when deciding whether to call someone in or chuck a resume in the circular file? Some answers â€" like relevant industry experience, education and a professional presentation â€" are obvious, but some are more unexpected:

A Strong Professional Summary: Akin to the liner notes on a best-selling novel, a succinct and engaging professional summary is one of the first things recruiters read on a candidate's resume.
Strong Quantitative Accomplishments: Candidates must demonstrate quantifiable accomplishments and results that show how they contributed to the bottom line.
Technical/Business Skills: What certifications does the candidate have? If a candidate has a strong skill set in a particular area, make sure the recruiter has the technical details.
Stability at a Company (Tenure): Has the candidate job hopped every other year or do they show a consistent track record on tenure? Commitment is important.
Summarized Job Descriptions: Rather than providing a bullet list of duties, a candidate should summarize key responsibilities and focus on measurable results.

Job hopping and bullet points are out then, and hard numbers and technical certifications are in. These may seem like small things, but as Bryan Newman, a certified professional resume writer, reveals these mistakes can really cost you. "The vast majority of people facing career changes are immensely better qualified than their self-written resumes reveal," he says.

For the complete list of pet peeves, check out the research.

The Question: Do these recommendations mesh with your experience?

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