What Grabs Your Attention When It Comes to Resumes?

In running your business, how do you go about hiring new talent?

For some business owners, they will put advertisements online or in the local newspapers. Others, meantime, will find new employees through job fairs. Still others rely on the old word-of-mouth to bring new workers onto the payroll.

No matter how you go about finding new employees, one thing is pretty constant. Yes, the resume is what it typically all comes down to.

If an individual has a solid resume and does well during the interview process, they typically stand a good chance of being brought aboard.

When it comes to that all-important resume, both prospective employee and the employer know all too well it can make or break the decision as to whether to even grant an individual an interview in the first place.

That said what grabs your attention when it comes to resumes?

Separating the Best of the Best

In order to separate the best of the best, both prospective employee and the companies they are applying to have a job to do.

If you’re the prospective employee:

• Be proud of your resume – Without a winning resume and cover letter, you are all but sunk when it comes to getting the job you want. If you do not feel 100 percent confident in writing your own resume, turn to resume writing services to properly get the job done. Such services can be the difference maker as to whether or not you get your foot in the door. While you still have to prove yourself once you do get in for an interview, your resume is the gateway to that happening;
• Be assertive – While you do not want to come off during your interview as arrogant and cocky, you do want to be someone who seems authoritative. If you’re not sure of yourself during the interview process, an employer may have doubts about you if you were in a position with a client, a position where you had to make an important decision to maintain that relationship. Showing how you handle the matter to successfully keep the client can mean the difference between a job offer and someone passing on you;
• Be up to speed on digital age – Finally, you all but need to have digital skills in today’s job market. From job hunting to doing your job once someone does hire you, being able to know your way around the worldwide web is crucial. If your online talents are lacking, brush up on them before seeking work. In the end, that time spent doing so will prove quite beneficial.

If you’re the prospective employer:

• Be selective – Bringing in a new employee is both exciting and a little nerve-wracking at the same time. Keep in mind that it costs your business sizable money to have to bring in new employees time and time again, only to have to replace them time and time again because things did not work out. The importance of making the right hires the first time around can’t be emphasized enough;
• Be fair – Just because an individual does not have a 4.0 GPA or a degree from the most prestigious of schools does not mean they will be a bad selection should you decide to choose them. While book smarts is important, knowing how to think on your feet and how to relate to customers is even more crucial. In some cases, hiring someone with superior educational talents over someone with minimal ones will not work out;
• Be open – Lastly, more and more businesses are catching on to the fact that today’s workers are different than those of even a decade or two ago. As a result, businesses should be flexible too. Allowing employees to work from home on occasion, permitting them to use social media on the job to promote the company brand (and use personally on breaks etc.), and being flexible with workers who are parents of young ones etc. are all attractive options to workers. During the interviewing process, let prospective talent know that your company is a very flexible and progressive business, not one stuck in the dark ages of a rigid 9 to 5 routine, one where workers are monitored constantly with little or no freedoms.

When it comes to what grabs your attention with resumes, be on the lookout for those individuals who get what it takes to be successful in 2016 and beyond.

And for those prospective employees, make sure your resumes are something you would be proud to show your mother.