5 Resume Myth uncovered

No one gets hired because they have a great resume alone. Your resume has to be compelling and ATS-proof to get noticed. I unmask 5 common resume myths so you can score your next interview faster.

Most of my clients believe that the resume is the one and only key to secure an interview.

Let me help you to understand what happens when your resume arrives and what definitely never happens.

Myth #1 Your resume gets read

Firstly your resume is not read, at least not at first in most cases! My professional guess would be 85 – 90% of the time it’s not read, it’s scanned for key information and criteria and that is usually done by an ATS software, not a real person. Then at a later stage it gets read and carefully reviewed by a genuine hiring professional. So your first focus should be on making your resume ATS proof.

Myth #2 Good resumes get you jobs

Second, a good resume alone is not the determining factor in getting you hired. It is first and foremost a critical element in securing a job interview. So, the most important purpose of your resume is to pass ATS systems and then catch someone’s eye.

Hiring Managers, such as Recruiters and HR Managers, deal with resumes as a job-matching tool. They look at hundreds of resumes and they hate to waste time. Their focus is on trying to find a fit, not more and not less. They are tasked with solving an important problem. The final hiring decision is, in 99% of the cases, with someone else. So, if you want to get noticed, ensure to write your resume for the right audience and not just the HR Manager or Recruiter.

Myth #3 Hiring managers focus on experience

No – most Hiring Managers are simply focused on finding out what problems you are able to solve.

The most common ones are:

Financial
Risk
Time

If you are not able to demonstrate some key abilities to solve problems in a key area such as these 3 in your resume, don’t bother. They want / need someone who’s overcome challenges in at least one of these areas, if not all three. Obviously this comes from your experience but you need to demonstrate it effectively.

Myth #4 All hiring managers focus on your key responsibilities

Actually not! Most of them have to solve a burning problem for their client, so don’t just explain who you worked for – explain who you helped!

So many resumes are just boring summaries of past jobs and too many resumes include companies that are not known, so ensure to add a short explanation or you risk frustrating your readers. “Leading provider of 24/7 repair services for mobile & handheld devices in Australia” for example, will give your performance some context.

Myth #5 – Your titles are important!

Good job titles certainly help, but what matters for most Hiring Managers is to find out if you actually made a difference? Provide some FFN!

FFN really matters because they provide proof and credibility. So ensure to add FFN such as: (Facts) Did you reorganise and restructure the sales team to (Figures) increase lead generation by 20% in the first 6 months to achieve (Numbers) triple sales year over year?

I am not encouraging you to embellish your achievements, but instead I encourage you to look at your resume as a sales document. Try to pitch and make sense of your achievements and ensure to be as clear as possible to avoid hard interview questions. Do your best to demonstrate how your experience prepared you.

Your work history is a summary which will lead you to greater opportunities if prepared and delivered in the right manner. If you are not clear what you wish to do next and how, then don’t be surprised if you end up in the ‘maybe’ or ‘definitely no’ pile.

In summary:

Write for more than just one decision-maker and use the tips outlined above to get an interview because, after all, it’s the interview(s) that will win you a job.

In the meantime make good use of your time, share this post with other job seekers and remember to hunt wisely!

Uli