10 Reasons Recruiters Do Not Want to Consider Your Resume

Your resume is a gateway to your dream job and most times, we try as hard as we can to write the best resume as we possibly can and forward it to recruiters we come across on various platforms such as LinkedIn. However, we never end up getting an interview or job offer from them but a very subtle response of how they cannot continue with our recruitment. This may be due to us not taking into consideration some very important aspects of resume writing that recruiters are keen on. These might be things that you’ve heard of before or even completely new concepts to you!

In this article, we will highlight 10 reasons why recruiters do not want to consider your resume:

1. Gaps In Your Work History

Employers like to see continuity in your work history. Having unexplained gaps may cause them to assume that you were involved in something dubious thus unemployment. Even the strongest of candidates may have gaps in their resume due to one reason or the other.

Recruiters want to see where your time has been spent in the last few years and gaps do not satisfy that curiosity, thus, you may end up being taken out of context. It’s very important to show that these gaps were due to something specific such as caring for a family member during their illness or taking some time off to learn something new or assume a new responsibility. This will create a certain level of confidence in your recruiters.

2. Links to Social Media Accounts

Most people today like to add social media links in their resumes. This may seem like a ‘modern’ or ‘in-tune-with-the-times’ thing to do, especially with the prevalence of social media in our lives today. However, this may end up backfiring on you. How so? Well, the recruiter might see you as someone who cannot separate your professional life from your social one.

If you choose to add such links, make sure that your account or profile shows how professional you can be. Let it reflect how valuable you can be to the company that you wish to join. Fail to do this and you’d be putting off recruiters.

3. Adding Photos

Adding a photo may or may not be appropriate depending on the type of industry that you want to join. Let’s say you want to be an actor or model, then you must add a photo so as the employer can weigh which roles might fit you best.

In other roles such as marketing, tech, finance, and most white collar jobs, this might not be necessary thus you do not have to include your picture. By including your picture you come across as inappropriate and unaware of the business dynamics and culture. Furthermore, employers are not allowed to discriminate and by you adding your picture, you’re enticing him to. Your photo may reveal your age, race, and gender and this may end up working against you.

4. False Information

Most people may be tempted into writing false information on their resumes due to the desperation that they may be facing because of unemployment. By writing a few credentials that you don’t have such as creating a few false projects or adding experience that you may not have, you’re setting yourself on a path that leads to chaos!

Such things can land you in problems as you may be required to answer some questions related to the experience you said you have. You may have indicated that you participated in certain projects but when questioned, your responses don’t add up. Your references may even end up not being able to back up your story.

Lying on a resume is morally unjustifiable and tends to haunt people as they can be easily exposed at any time. Be as truthful as you possibly can be!

5. Empty Adjectives

Most people tend to use certain adjectives to describe themselves. They can be intelligent, successful, and hardworking, amongst many others. These adjectives don’t really do anything for you. Many people can be all that, thus, you’re just indistinguishable from the lot.

Rather than saying what you are, go into detail and show them what exactly makes that. Instead of saying you managed accounts how about you say ‘handled X amount of money that was used in day to day operations’, this clearly shows that you can be able to manage huge amounts of money. Another thing to say is you ‘developed a new method that resulted in growth in revenue by double digits!’

6. Too Long a Resume

For those of us that happen to job-hop, we tend to have long resumes and this can be a big turn off for the recruiters as they don’t have all day to read a four-page resume. Most recruiters tend to be under a lot of pressure and are looking for specific things, thus, you’re just making their work harder by having an unnecessarily long resume.

You need to trim all the fat that there is such as anything before your undergraduate, and any other insignificant roles. Your employer doesn’t need to know that you worked for two months in five different jobs. Anything longer that two A4 pages should be trimmed.

7. Too Short a Resume

Within the same lane, your resume should also not be that short. A resume for anyone, even those with no job experience, should at least cover a full A4 page. At the same time, don’t be forced to implement double spacing, margins, and large fonts. Focus on the content that will portray you as the best person for the job.

For those of you that are straight out of high school, focus on your skills and the experience that you’ve developed over the years which will help you in the workplace.

8. Not Showing How Valuable You Can Be

In your resume, you need to show how valuable you can be to the company. Recruiters today are keener on what you can do than what you did in the past.

You must be thinking ‘my work history is in the past and that’s what I did, how do I show what I can do?’

This is where prioritizing statements come in. You target your resume based on the requirements of the company. Show them that your accomplishments and qualifications match what they are looking for and they should be in the order of importance.

9. Compatibility with the Work Place

Sometimes, recruiters are not interested in your resume at all. They are more concerned about how you will fit into the workplace and they use a technique known as the psychometric assessment to measure your working habits. For you to get your dream job, you must be able to pass this test. It’s normally administered during the recruitment process. The key to passing this test is to practice.

The recruiter also forms an opinion about your mannerisms and how you carry yourself. Thus, you must dress appropriately and be on your best manners.

10. Not Knowing About the Company

Most candidates make a mistake of applying to a company that they haven't done a background search on. Do your research and find out the services the company provides or the products it manufactures. O0ly after doing this can you position yourself in line with the company’s vision and work towards making sure both you and the company achieve the goals set forward.

Conclusion

Before submitting your resume to a recruiter, make sure to follow the 10 guidelines highlighted above. This will, at least, guarantee that your resume gets the attention that it deserves. Know about the company you want to work for, don’t falsify information, only add pictures if it's needed, don’t make your resume too long or too short. Show how valuable you can be to the company by stating your accomplishments in their full glory and not forgetting to make sure that you are compatible with the workplace. All the best in securing your dream job!

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