These days, there are seemingly countless articles and guides about how the job market has moved online – and what that means for job seekers. Creating a resume that is optimized for job board searches and keyword filters is usually close to the top of the list.
Doing things like highlighting years of experience, bolding skills and tools and pulling out keywords can certainly help your resume rise to the top in online searches of job boards, LinkedIn and internal databases. However, once it’s time to present your profile to a client, these resumes can do more harm than good.
When a resume reads like a list of buzzwords and canned language designed to penetrate the Boolean search wall, it can be off putting to a hiring manager. As GSG Recruiting Manager David Gonzalez notes, “No one likes having to read through half a page of keywords before a single work experience is mentioned.” Hiring managers want to know about employment history and overall experience to get a complete picture of the candidate. After all, they are looking for a person to join their team – not a robot!
Gonzalez recommends that candidates with search engine optimized resumes keep a second version on hand with an emphasis on work experience and specific accomplishments – things that may not trigger a hit from an online search, but will help demonstrate value to a hiring manager. After all, he notes, “Hiring managers want to be able to take a candidates resume and grasp the nature of the work they’ve done, and understand the candidate’s specific role within the initiative. It’s all about painting a picture that does not require a curator’s explanation.”