Resume Tips From a Recruiter that Interviewed Me During My Silent Job Search 😆

Hey friends!

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s newsletter because I am back with some more tea from a recruiter friend or should I say a recruiter that interviewed me for a job I didn’t get, lol. That’s the real tea.

I met Adam Faul in 2024 during my silent job search. He was one of my interviewers and after not getting selected for the position we have continued to stay connected (that’s what networking looks like folks) and have been supporting each other ever since.

Adam has been so generous to share some of his tips on how he views resumes, what the format should ideally look like.

Remember, that we are just recruiters trying to enhance jobseekers job search for da free. and debunk all the goofy information out there that us coming from all of those LinkedIn Gurus.

Without further ado, Meet Adam!

Director of Growth at Myers Home Buyers

About Adam: “I am a passionate HR professional who loves helping people succeed, professionally and personally. I am an enneagram 8 extrovert passionate about music and people!”

These are my thoughts on resumes, from the thousands I look at and my resume (in general).

The way I have always looked at sections of a resume is like a table of contents. As a recruiter, I am looking at hundreds of resumes per position, going from top to bottom, and I want easy to read, easy to find the pertinent information that I need to decide to move forward on that particular position.

In the header of a resume (depending on format)

Name: (what I have always found helpful is if it is a name that is mispronounced often to write out the enunciation in parentheses next to it). I know some recruiters are concerned when they call, they are going to feel embarrassed so it might help right from the beginning.

City and State: I would never put nor suggest putting full address as I have seen, only the city and state.  It does make a difference if it is not a remote role (and geography could still make a difference for remote). 

Email and Cell number and strongly suggest LinkedIn profile (ideally in hyperlink format): Somehow, I have seen too many resumes with no contact info, just name and experience.  Use a professional email address when applying.

Picture? I did a poll of over 100 recruiters on their thoughts on people including a picture on their resume.  About 75% suggested not to do it, 15% said they don’t care, and 10% said yes.   My personal opinion is to suggest not to include a picture, again it can absolutely create a bias that you did not mean to create. 

Below the header:

To write an objective or not write an objective? This is generally debated by people I have spoken to.  My opinion, if it’s two sentences highlighting pertinent information or skills, then great go for it, if it’s a full paragraph about how you are the best communicator in the world and you love puppies, leave it off.  Whatever helps you in the position you are applying to tailor towards that.   Straight facts, not opinions.

Education: I always suggest putting your education at the top of a resume if you have graduated with a degree in something (or completed certifications, etc).  You put in time, the effort, and money to get that degree, showcase it.  Employers do care even if the job description does not require it, and for the ones that do require it I will go to the education first and make sure they have it.  I also suggest not put the graduation date on the resume, just the type of degree received and the name of the school.  It shouldn’t be, but ageism does exist and having on a resume completed bachelor's degree in 1976 they can do the math, and we do not want to create any bias, fair or not, it happens.

Experience: Never lie!  I know you want the job, you might NEED the job but do not lie on your resume.  If it gets found out from discussions, referrals or background check it will immediately disqualify you in my opinion and in my experience.  Have a few different resume examples and tailor them to your search, highlight different skills based on the job but make sure it is all honest.  I personally like bullet points because they are straight to the point of what your experience is at that position/job.  I do not want to just read a paragraph, others may not care but that is my personal opinion.  My suggestion is to only put past 7 years, maybe up to 10 years if its pertinent experience.  Generally it does not benefit you that you worked at McDonalds as a cashier 15 years ago.  Unless you are applying to a fast food place I suppose.

Tips:  Always proofread and check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  Don’t just assume Word or whatever you are using will catch it.

Keep it concise:  Focus on most important accomplishments.  1 page is ideal, 2 pages is still really good, every page after that is less ideal.  Still possible but not optimal.

Look for keywords in the job position/description and tailor your resume towards that, again being honest.

Thank you Adam for all the great tea!

Newsletter Updates

I plan on adding book recommendations for the people who like to read or for the people who want to like to read.

If you got this far, thank you for looking at the whole newsletter. I am currently looking for individuals who have something they want to talk about and would like to contribute to this newsletter. The point of the newsletter is to amplify voices that are trying to figure shit out as well.

Do you have some shit you want to share? Please send an email to [email protected] explaining the shit you want to talk about and if it’s some good shit, I will follow up with you. ☺️

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