Resumes have undergone many changes over the years; most recently, Applicant Tracking Systems and social media have been game changers. With Applicant Tracking Systems zooming through resumes to pick out only the ones that match certain keywords and with social media providing a whole new set of insights into candidates, have hiring managers and recruiters become less “resume smart”—less interested or tuned in to what a resume says?
The short answer is: no. The long answer is that hiring managers and recruiters have sharper resume smarts than ever and will reject any candidate who makes the following resume errors:
- Overstating accomplishments. You should describe your accomplishments on your resume, but there is a very clear line between honoring your successes and exaggerating them. When human resource managers were polled in a 2018 CareerBuilder study, 75% said they had caught a lie on a resume; in another survey, 57% said the most common lie is an exaggerated list or description of skills. So hiring managers and recruiters are definitely resume-smart when it comes to lying about skills, education, and accomplishments.
- Ignoring social media or misusing it. Hiring managers and recruiters are searching social media for candidates—in fact, in one survey 73% of employers said that they had hired a candidate through social media. They are also checking social media to confirm or add to the information on a candidate’s resume. So if you have the bare minimum of a LinkedIn profile, if your online information contradicts your resume, or if you use Instagram to flaunt your latest drunken escapade, now is the time to rethink your use of social media.
- Fudging your employment or industry experience. Hiring managers and recruiters still check the employment history on your resume. There are no federal and few state laws governing what an employer can say about you, as long as it is the truth. If you try to hide a layoff or gap in employment, the hiring manager or recruiter will find out. The same applies to industry experience. Many skills are transferrable, and a professional resume writer can help you frame your resume to make the most of those skills. But hiring managers and recruiters are resume-smart when it comes to tracking down the truth.
Given the resume smarts of hiring managers and recruiters, it simply makes sense to use a professional resume writer to make sure your resume is truthful and complete and to strengthen your social media presence and transferrable skills. If you want a professional resume writer with decades of experience and the latest information on the expectations of employers, please contact Robin’s Resumes® today.