Recruiters and hiring managers in Nigeria have to spend hours looking through a big stack of candidates’ resumes and don’t have enough time to scan each and every resume. Let me share what they want to see in a candidate’s resume at first glance.
I meet candidates every other day and I see them struggling to get interview calls. Trust me it is not that tough.
The average time a recruiter will spend to review a resume is about 15 seconds. Yes, it is correct, JUST 15 SECONDS. So, your target should be what to do to create a positive impression in those 6 seconds and get an interview call.
Seat back and sip a cup of tea.
Let me show you certain important instructions that will guide you to effectively display your superpowers in your resume.
I am going to share just 6 tips that are followed by most of the recruiters. If you holistically follow these step by step rules mentioned below, your chances of getting an interview call will increase multiple times.
Bear in mind that recruiters are not experts in job positions, so they just have high-level information. They work with information received from a hiring manager, and simply shortlist 1 out of 100 resumes (at least for big companies) and forward them to hiring managers and interviewers for further screening.
What Recruiters Targets In A Resume At First Glance
Here are a few things recruiters will notice at first glance when they read your resume:
1. Keywords relevant to the job position
Every job position carries relevant keywords. These keywords are supposed to be included in the job description. When writing a good Resume, you must identify the best keywords associated with your target job position.
For instance, communication skills, client experience, ability to code are good examples of keywords for IT jobs. Recruiters’ target is to see these keywords in your resume AT FIRST GLANCE. Without these keywords, your resume will surely be rejected.
How then can you overcome this challenge? Good news… It is EASY PEASY!
First of all, a smart Nigerian job seeker will examine the Job description closely in order to identify 10 to 15 prime keywords. Now, edit your resume to ensure relevant keywords are included in your past experiences.
Make sure these keywords are “Bold” on your resume. It is a strategy to immediately catch Recruiters attention at first glance. Don’t ignore this point, it is very important.
If you are a Nigerian seeking migrant job, click our article on Essential Job Search Tips For Nigerian Immigrants.
2. Consistency of your work experience
Your resume should maintain consistency in the story of your work experience. If the job offer you are targeting is related to Software Engineering, that means your past experience and passion should only talk about Software Engineering.
Take for instance, if you indicated that you did Marketing in the previous job and you are now applying for Software Engineering, then you will be rejected. This might be among 10 Reasons You Didn’t Get The Job Offer in the past. I recommend you do not show irrelevant past experience except it is unavoidable.
3. Use action verbs
Recruiters love to see action verbs. Yes, nobody will tell you this secret! The use of action verbs helps recruiters and employers understand a candidates experience better.
Don’t forget that recruiters have very limited time. Within 15 seconds, recruiters have a target of what they want to see at a first glance.
Action verbs will make your resume stand out, such as:
- Analytical
- Communication
- Creativity
- Flexibility
- Initiative
- Leadership
- Organization
- Problem Solving
If you use tough or irrelevant language, you will irritate your recruiter and hurt your chances of getting an interview call. As a Nigerian, make sure you are smart with the use of action verbs.
4. Timeline in chronological order
If you successfully manage the above three steps, Recruiters would have scanned your Resume at first glance at this point and will be willing to understand your journey so far from when you finished your studies to when you started your job.
To get a Job in any Nigeria Bank, Make sure you follow your timeline in chronological order in your resume. What does it mean? It means you should arrange your most recent experience should come first before past experiences.
The idea is to make it easier for recruiters to review your resume. You will be way ahead of all other job applicants if you display a timeline on the right side of your resume.
5. Quantify your achievements
The mastery of how to rate your achievements in your resume is another way to impress a recruiter. That means facts about your prior experiences must be straight forward.
Before you say “I helped my company make a profit”, but it is better to write, “I created 3 new tools that helped my company save 20% cost”. That is simply impressive!
If you rate your achievements this way, recruiters would be willing to call you for an interview.
6. Use the correct template
Templates are separately available for both entry-level and experienced positions. A recruiter would feel happy when he or she sees a correct resume template at first glance. See templates via https://novoresume.com/career-blog/resume-examples
It makes reviewing your resume easy to scan through. When you use the correct resume for the job offer, you can always impress recruiters and hiring managers. Find resume samples for various kinds of jobs via www.monster.com/career-advice/cover-letter-resume/resume-samples
- Resume format for candidates without experience
If you are a fresh Nigerian graduate who is applying for entry-level positions, emphasize on mentioning your internship experience, extra-curricular activities, and skills. Find the perfect format for freshers via https://www.myamcat.com/freshers-resume-templates
- Resume format for experienced candidates
Recruiters would like to see your actions and activities in the previous job roles. As possible as you can, highlight your leadership and team skills. If there is any innovation you have done, it will be a preferable advantage.
View our article on How To Write A Good Canadian Resume before you apply next time for experienced positions:
Next time you want to apply for any job position, use tricks that I have explained above and you will ace any interview.
Trust me it is not that tough. Find out how to master What To Avoid When Writing A Good Resume and approach recruiters with a prepared mindset, I bet you would easily crack your dream job.
However, if you need a Word copy of entry-level and experienced resume templates, please drop your email in the comments box below. I will be glad to email you.
Go get your dream job, I wish you all the best!
Dennisemeka68@gmail.com