We often scrutinise the little things, thinking that every detail matters. In case you’ve forgotten, recruiters only look at your resume for about six seconds, so you probably ought to stop doing that.
Picture: Alita Bobrov/Shutterstock
Alison Green, writing for US News, agrees and explains why:
Employers really don’t care whether you spend time tracking down the hiring manager’s name or just address your cover letter to “dear hiring manager,” so don’t put time into that. Similarly, most hiring managers really don’t care what your résumé design looks like as long as it’s organised and easy to skim, or whether your post-interview thank-you note is handwritten or emailed. Don’t sweat the little stuff; put your energy into showing your qualifications and why you’d excel at the job.
So don’t sweat the small stuff. Nobody’s going to notice.
Comments
3 responses to “Don’t Waste Time On The Tiny Details Of Your Resume”
What a load of rubbish.
They only look at resumes for “six seconds” in the initial phases. If you’re strongly being considered for an interview, they’ll spend a lot more time going over it.
A poorly formatted resume contradicts both computer literacy and professional communication.
Poor spelling, grammar and dates that don’t quite add up don’t suggest attention to detail.
Getting past the initial cull means nothing if your application doesn’t stand up to further scrutiny.
A pure load of crock. When Im hiring, I go as far as ensuring that they spell “organisation” with an “S” instead of a “Z”. If that spelling is wrong, their resume goes in the bin as it tells me that they do not have enough attention to detail, or their ability to communicate, that too in Australian English is poor, which will reflect poorly on me as their manager, and on the organisation as a whole, especially if that role requires the person to deal with customers.
Get your details accurate, as there are many out there like me who are serious about finding the right candidate and actually do care about the details. Spend the time otherwise be prepared for many rejection emails and more so, sitting on your arse without an income for longer than you have to.
I call bullshit on this article. If you can’t tailor your CV to the job I advertised, use proper punctuation and spelling and keep it to three pages max, you won’t get a job with me.